


The Barracuda: Allegiances

by Chellendora



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Adult Situations, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hope, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Strong Language, Violence, eventual citrus, original fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chellendora/pseuds/Chellendora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie Evans and Piper Shepard grew up together on Earth, but when Shepard joined the Alliance Charlie joined the Red Tide mercenary group. When she needs to disappear, the last thing she expects is to rediscover her oldest friend. Joining the crew of the Normandy would change more than her life. (Follows the events of ME1)</p><p>OC/Kaidan<br/>Slight OC!Shepard/Garrus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stowaway

**Author's Note:**

> The Mass Effect trilogy is perhaps my favorite video game series ever, and that’s saying something because it had to beat out Legend of Zelda. I got the idea for this story the other night, and while I don’t normally write canon AUs, I just fell so in love with Charlie and her story that I can’t resist. There will be three stories for three games, all following Charlie Evans and Piper Shepard. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I enjoy writing it!

_Burning flesh, screaming,_ How could you do this to us? _I own you._

Charlie thrashed in her fitful sleep.

_Children crying,_ Momma? Momma? _Screech, screech, the gunfire is never-ending._

Her body tossed again, nearly throwing herself from the cot.

_Green eyes, ringed red,_ How could you do this to us? _Don’t doubt my love, Charlie._

She rolled and hit the floor, waking with a start. She reached for her pistol but grasped air. “Shit,” she grumbled to herself. She was in a C-Sec cell, riding out a 48-hour sentence for pulling a gun on a man in the midst of a crowded Presidium. 

_That man looked just like him._

She sat heavily on the cot, gazing across the tiny room to look at herself in the broken mirror above the sink. Her dark red hair was cropped close to her head, just long enough for her to slick back, but now it laid soft and loose. Her eyes, normally as blue as the Earthen sky, were dark and bloodshot. She shouldn’t have let that hanar talk her into doing mindfish. She couldn’t even remember how long ago that had been.

She stood and slightly limped to the door to peer through the slot. There was a turian standing guard, but all was quiet. She sat on the cot again with a sigh and rolled her shorts up on her left leg. She was surprised to see the wound on the inside of her thigh had been properly bandaged and didn’t hurt quite as bad as it had before…whenever _before_ was.

The door slid open and Charlie’s head snapped up to see two turian C-Sec officers, one of them the guard on her door. The other stood in the threshold holding a data pad.

“Evans, Charlie? Disorderly conduct.” He turned the data pad and held it out to her. “Sign and you’re released.”

She knew the drill well enough. She used her finger to sign her name and handed the device back to the turian. He stepped out of the way and said, “Do try to keep out of trouble this time, Miss Evans. You can retrieve your belongings at the end of the hall.”

Fifteen minutes later she stood on the Presidium outside C-Sec in her old, but sturdy, silver light armor, a ratty black duffle bag slung over her shoulders and her helmet held at her side. She looked around, momentarily at a loss for what to do first, and then decided to seek out an extranet terminal to check her messages and get caught up on recent news. It had only been two days so she doubted much had really happened, but it was something to do. She walked around until she found one on the upper level outside the embassies. She dropped her stuff at her feet and accessed it.

At best she had been hoping for news of mercenary activities, so she could plan her next course of action accordingly. What she had not expected was the barrage of articles clogging up her feed about a geth attack on the colony of Eden Prime ( _Whoa, what are geth doing so close to Citadel space?_ ) and an announcement about the appointment of the first human Spectre. She clicked on it, and her jaw dropped open. It was none other than—

“Piper fucking Shepard.” A grin that could only be classified as insane split her face. After scanning multiple articles for information, she shut off the terminal, snatched up her bag of belongings, and marched toward the elevator that would take her to the docks.

***

Charlie had done some crazy things before, including stowing away aboard starships, but none of those ships had been _the Normandy._ This ship was young but already legendary, which meant it would be heavily guarded; she was the Alliance’s pride and joy.

As expected, entrances to the docking bay were manned and sealed for Alliance access only. Charlie walked by casually, stopping to view the ship through the observation windows. A few Citadel citizens and military folk milled around, several stopping to admire the ship as well. Luckily wearing armor didn’t draw much attention on the docks.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

Charlie turned to see a man in an Alliance uniform coming to stand near her. He walked as though his legs pained him, and she wondered if he had been injured. He seemed ready to topple over at any minute.

“Yeah, she’s real impressive,” she replied nonchalantly. “People all over the Citadel have been talking about her.” It was a lie, but one hard to disprove. Besides, as far as she knew they were talking about the ship’s presence. 

“You should feel her as she powers up for FTL.” He hummed pleasantly, closing his eyes.

Charlie cocked one eyebrow. “You’re part of her crew?”

“I’m not just any crewman,” he said, a bit dramatically she thought. “I’m the _pilot._ ”

Charlie snorted and began to laugh. “Yeah, sure. And I’m Sha’ira the Consort.”

She turned and started walking away. The “pilot” waited a few beats and then called, “Can I make an appointment?” She ignored him.

She continued to walk until she came across an empty docking bay. It was dark inside and the door was locked. She pulled up her Omni-tool, tapped a few keys, and then waved her hand over the control panel. There was a beep and the door slid open with a hiss. With a quick glance around first, she slipped inside and closed the doors behind her. 

The next hour’s worth of work was relatively boring for Charlie, who usually wasn’t for sneaking in but blasting through. That method would get her caught before she ever got to Shepard though, so she worked diligently to remove a panel in the hanger to gain access to the next one, and kept repeating this until she reached the other side—the Normandy’s bay. She disabled the alarms before removing the last wall tile, then dropped soundlessly into the dock. 

Getting onto the ship was going to be a lot trickier. It was suspended with clamps, the only way inside the ramp to the portside door—which was guarded, of course. So Charlie focused on the clamps. For this, she had to go back into the wall. 

The innards of the Citadel was almost as expansive as the rest, with a dizzying system of catwalks and ladders so various repairs and upgrades could be performed. That also meant she had to worry about running into Keepers, even if all they did was give her the creeps.

She attempted to be quiet when she reached the catwalk that ran along the bay’s ceiling to the clamp controls, but with the many other noises surrounding the ship it wasn’t very imperative; what was, however, was not being spotted. She crouched low, making herself as small as possible. Watching the soldiers pacing the deck, she slowly started to half-crawl, half-crabwalk her way to the control platform. When she reached the base of the clamp that held the far side of the ship, she took a deep breath, activated her tactical cloak, and climbed up onto the clamp’s arm.

Every instinct in her screamed to climb slowly, to take her time so she wouldn’t fall and become paste against the Normandy’s hull, but her tactical cloak would only hold for a few minutes. When she stepped onto the hull she took a moment to breathe before moving toward the stern. Finding a way in near the drive core was risky, but she was confident she could do it.

And she did, but right as the core powered up for takeoff. The Normandy was leaving the station with Charlie still inside the ventilation. If she didn’t get out she would be barbequed. Already the steel beneath her hands and knees was growing warm.

“Ah, shit!” She scrambled forward as quickly as possible, her armor bumping so loudly against the inside of the shaft she knew someone would hear her. She couldn’t worry about that. Right now she had to—

With a yelp, Charlie reached a grate and it popped open, sending her scrambling through the hole and directly on top of someone below.

“What the hell?!” A man off to the side yelled, and then again, “Commander, get down here. We’ve got a stowaway!” 

Charlie scrambled to her feet to retreat, but got caught in her surprise when she realized she had fallen on a quarian. She had never seen one before and had always wanted to meet one. But this was not the time to admire the alien, two crewmen grabbed and pinned Charlie’s arms. She snarled, snapping her teeth at them like a wild animal.

“Let me go!” she demanded. “You motherfuckers, _let me go!_ ” She continued to thrash and fight, slowly dragging the two men who held her across the floor as they fought to hold her back.

All at once there as a pop inside her head and then a warping sound. The two men were tossed across the room and into the far wall, where they slid down onto their heads. She snarled at them so hard it was like a roar, but inside her heart was working harder than the ship’s core beside her.

“…Charlie?”

Hearing her name spoken by _that_ voice worked like a switch. The anger and adrenaline was sucked away in an instant. She twisted her head around to see none other than the first human Spectre herself.

The crazy grin from before came back as Charlie turned to fully face the Alliance commander. She wiped sweat from her brow and stood straight, pulling off a mocking salute in the process.

“Piper Shepard.” Her smirk showed teeth. “I’ve been lookin’ for you.”

* * *


	2. The Normandy

Tension from the Alliance crew and the quarian was almost palpable as they watched to see what would happen between their commanding officer and this stranger who had, quite literally, fallen from above. The quarian was rubbing one of her elbows tenderly.

The two women quietly stared each other down. Charlie smirked madly, her eyes narrowed but summing Shepard up. The commander’s hair was as black as oil, cut to her chin. Honeyed brown eyes smoked with violet eye shadow regarded her coolly, giving nothing away. Though paled slightly from starship life and mostly covered in a uniform, her skin was naturally bronzed and youthfully smooth except for a mark above her left eye: A short, wide, and white scar.

“Aw, I see Pippy cut her hair,” Charlie teased, crossing her arms over her chest. She resisted cringing when her armor groaned from neglect.

“It’s hard to run courses with braids,” Shepard replied, her own lips quirking into a smile. “Besides, I’m not fifteen anymore.”

“Does the eye makeup help you aim a gun?” Charlie sneered and gestured toward her face as she spoke.

“No, but I look damn good while doing it,” she said without missing a beat. She stepped forward deliberately, coming to stand directly in front of Charlie. They stood at the same height, but next to Shepard, Charlie looked pale and beat up, her hair ruffled into a messy Mohawk and dust covering her from head to toe. 

Silence dropped between them again. Just as those watching thought they couldn’t handle their curiosity any longer, both women suddenly threw out their arms, and exclaimed—

“Charlie!”

“Piper!”

—and embraced tightly. Shepard patted her on the back a few times before pulling away, her face cracked by a grin as she held the other woman by the shoulders.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked with a short laugh. “The last time I saw you I was leaving for basic.”

Charlie shrugged her shoulders, her own grin making her cheeks hurt. She hadn’t smiled like this in a long time. “I’ve been bouncing around here and there, freelancing—”

“—and breaking into Alliance warships to throw the engineers around?” One of Shepard’s eyebrows was raised.

Charlie laughed a bit, rubbing the back of her head as she looked apologetically at the two men she had tossed into a wall. “Sorry about that, I don’t have a great handle on my biotics.” She spotted the quarian and turned to her. “Are you all right? I didn’t mean to, um, _fall_ on you.”

“I’m…not sure what to say,” she replied. _That accent!_ Charlie cooed inside her head. “But I’m…okay.” 

“C’mon, Charlie. Walk with me.” Shepard moved toward the door, shouting for everyone to resume the departure. As she opened the door to the elevator she smirked at Charlie. “Welcome to the Normandy, you’re stuck with us now.”

Charlie beamed. She grabbed up her helmet and bag where they had fallen to the wayside, and then practically bounced to join Shepard in the slowest elevator in the galaxy.

***

Charlie should have known that it wouldn’t just be her and Shepard when they arrived in the communications room. An older man and two other Alliance soldiers waited inside, a dark-haired man and olive-toned woman. They were surprised to see her accompanying their commander.

“This is Charlie Evans, she’s an old friend and will be joining the crew.” She didn’t leave any room for objections. “Charlie, this is my XO Navigator Charles Pressly, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams.” Shepard gestured to the older man, the younger man, and the woman respectively.

It was obvious the three were overflowing with questions, but they swallowed them at Shepard’s no-nonsense expression. Instead, the XO stated, “Joker needs a destination, ma’am.”

“We’ll pick up the scientist first and then book it to Feros. Make sure the Mako is ready to go, as well.” Shepard gave a friendly smile then. “Thank you, Pressly.”

The man saluted and then left. The other two continued to eye Charlie. She glared back.

Their expressions didn’t go unnoticed by the commander, Williams’s especially. “Speak freely, Ashley,” said Shepard, crossing her arms and frowning.

The gunnery chief cut her eyes to continue looking at Charlie for a moment before turning her full attention to the commander. “It’s the aliens, ma’am. Are you sure we should trust them on our ship?”

Shepard sighed. It was clear this was not the first xenophobic comment made by the woman. “Do you doubt me, Ashley?”

This took her by surprise. “I—no. No, I don’t doubt you, ma’am.” She pulled a curt salute. Once dismissed she moved stiffly to the door, glancing mistrustfully at Charlie one last time. The latter wiggled her fingers and smiled cheekily at her.

Shepard turned to Charlie then and she quickly snapped to attention in a poor imitation of a soldier. The commander just shook her head, her small smile amused. “I need to go talk to Joker and Pressly, so how about you grab a bite to eat in the mess while you wait on me? Kaidan, will you show her?”

“Yes, Commander.” He saluted. _Like a toy soldier, wound up tight,_ thought Charlie.

Shepard clapped Charlie on the shoulder before leaving the room. She watched her go, and when she had, she snorted.

Kaidan looked at her curiously so she explained, “Last time I saw your commander she had pigtails to her butt and dirt on her nose. Now she’s Miss Large and In Charge.” She laughed more openly and then took a good look at her escort. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, she had always been a bit weak in the knees for a wide shouldered, dark eyed man, after all.

“So, you’re Kaidan Alenko?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You can just call me Kaidan, if you want.”

Charlie shuddered. “And you can just call me Charlie. No ‘ma’am.’ _Please_.” 

Kaidan chuckled. “C’mon, the mess hall is one deck down.”

She admired the ship more as they passed through new areas. Kaidan gave her a brief tour as they walked, pointing out things like the galaxy map and the direction of the bridge. He led her down stairs behind the command center and around a partition where a table was set up near a small mess. It was the size of a kitchenette, but technology had both improved and shrunk the size of rations. 

“Do you want something to eat?” Kaidan asked and when she shook her head they sat at the table across from one another. She stowed her stuff underneath her chair for the time being.

“Surprisingly, I’m still pretty full from the breakfast C-Sec gave me,” she said nonchalantly. It wasn’t until she saw his face that she remembered opening a conversation with one’s latest arrest story wasn’t generally seen as the best first impression. “Erm…How long have you known Piper?”

He relaxed, obviously more comfortable with the topic change. “Not very long, but it’s already been like nothing else in my career. Hell, my whole life.” He sounded awed, maybe even star struck. Charlie smirked.

“She’s always had a knack for stirring things up,” she said. “Probably why we got along so well. Things are never boring with The Shepard.”

“‘The’ Shepard?” Kaidan sounded amused.

“That’s what the other kids would call her a lot. Never could pinpoint exactly who started it.” Charlie sat back, lifting her feet to rest on the corner of the table, crossed one over the other.

“So you grew up with Shepard?”

Charlie nodded, humming her affirmation as she picked at her greaves. The faint seafoam stripes had been peeling for months. “We both had no parents and no one we could trust, so we decided to trust each other, no matter what.”

“You make it sound so simple,” said Kaidan, a bit wistful. “You just…made a decision, and that was it? I don’t think things are ever that easy.”

“That was it.” For Charlie, it wasn’t complicated. “She’s never given me reason not to trust her, and there isn’t much she’d gain from back-stabbing me. But none of that shit even matters, because I’m not ever going to be the type of person who doesn’t trust the only family they have. I don’t want that for my life.” She thought for a moment while Kaidan mulled over her words, and then she laughed. “Imagine if she _did_ take me out though. She’d get this shitty armor, a few creds, and a bunch of crap paintings. Woo, what a prize!”

Kaidan cracked a smile and she was happy to have caused it. She may be pretty aggressive at times, but making someone smile or laugh was satisfying. She had always been one to break the tension with a joke or by exclaiming something outlandish. 

When he suddenly stood and snapped to attention, Charlie raised an eyebrow curiously. She looked over her shoulder to see Shepard approaching.

“Damn, Pip. I see your effect on men has only intensified.” She gestured lazily toward Kaidan.

Shepard rolled her eyes. “At ease, Lieutenant. You can return to your post.”

“Aye aye.” He nodded, and then looked at Charlie. “It was nice to meet you.”

As he headed for the stairs Shepard took his vacated seat, leaning back and crossing her arms.

“You aren’t supposed to put your feet on the table, you know.”

“Do I look like one of your grunts?”

Shepard laughed, and it was a good sound. Charlie grinned.

“I’m so glad you haven’t changed,” she said, and she did sound relieved. “But why were you looking for me? Are you in trouble?”

Charlie’s grin fell away and her shoulders slumped. “Damn, Pip, can’t lay off the perceptiveness for longer than five minutes?”

“You forget how well I know you.” Shepard leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. She lowered her voice. “Is it that merc group you’re in?”

“Technically, I’m not in it anymore.”

“Technically? God, please tell me you just quit…”

“I just quit.”

Shepard’s look was not amused. “ _Charlie._ ”

“ _Piper_ ,” she mimicked. “I saw all the news about you becoming a Spectre and going on this big adventure and I thought, there’s no way she’s doing this without me!”

“So you attempted to stow away? Why not just…I don’t know, walk up to me and say ‘hey’?”

“Number one, I didn’t attempt, I _did_ stow away. Number two, I figured you’d be surrounded by guards or politicians or something.” Charlie looked into Shepard’s eyes, trying to read her friend. “I need to be on the move and you are, so whatever it is you’re doing as a Spectre, let me help.”

“I’m chasing down a rogue ex-Spectre named Saren.”

“Oh GOD I’m in!”

***

It felt like a couple of lifetimes ago that Charlie Evans and Piper Shepard were together, but at the same time everything felt the same. Sure, they both looked different and had taken very different paths in life, but who they were, who they would always be at the core, was the same. It felt like coming home.

While Shepard inspired this feeling, the Normandy did not. Everywhere she went people cut their eyes at her distrustfully. She supposed it was only fair, since she was giving them the same look.

Shepard had just enough time to give her a brief account of recent events and what this mission was about. It was likely going to take them all over the galaxy, which meant plenty of staying off the grid. She wasn’t in any of the Normandy’s files and she wouldn’t ever be if she had anything to do with it, so it would be difficult to track her past the Citadel.

But she wasn’t going to just hide out on the ship either. She was deadly with pistols and handguns, half decent with assault weapons, and she was a biotic—albeit an untrained one. She had had Shepard’s back on Earth, she intended to do the same again, at the very least for letting her onto her ship. It settled something deep in her that Piper also hadn’t abandoned their pact. 

Charlie explored the ship as they traveled to the Artemis Tau cluster. From there they would have to travel to a different system, so she had some time to become acquainted with her surroundings. She started at the top, her first stop the bridge. She was curious about the pilot and the ship’s set up. It was touted as a masterpiece, human and turian engineering at their greatest, and she had a passing interest in starships, especially fast ones.

As she entered she noticed the XO on a terminal to the right. He gave her a courteous nod and continued to work. Then she noticed Kaidan in the co-pilot seat.

“Didn’t realize you were a pilot,” Charlie said and he looked over his shoulder at her.

“Technically, I’m not, but the Alliance trains you for everything.” One corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. “Joker here is the real deal, though.”

The pilot’s chair swiveled around as the man inside said, “So, about that appointment…”

Charlie’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe she was looking down at the cripple from outside the hangar. “ _You!_ You weren’t lying?”

His tone was snarky when he replied, “Uh…what does it look like?” 

“Wait,” interjected Kaidan, sounding a bit confused, “You two have met?”

“Briefly.” Joker rolled one of his shoulders until it popped. “She told me if I was really the pilot of this ship then she was Sha’ira the Consort.”

“Sha’ira is an asari.”

“Not the point, Kaidan.”

Charlie started to laugh, startling the boys to look at her again. She kept laughing for longer than was comfortable, but she couldn’t help it. It had just occurred to her how absurd her day had been, and it wasn’t even over.

She left the bridge still chuckling to herself, the helmsman and staff lieutenant watching her with a mix of bewilderment and wariness.

She retrieved her helmet and duffle bag from under the table in the mess and took the elevator back down to the shuttle bay. She avoided the doors leading to engineering and approached the lockers on the starboard side. Gunnery Chief Williams was standing off to the side, her arms crossed and watching Charlie coldly.

She ignored her as she accessed the locker Shepard indicated earlier. She shoved her stuff inside, slammed the door shut, and used her Omni-tool to program the lock. She kept her heavy caliber pistol on her for now.

Williams’s eyes hadn’t left her yet, so she spun to face the woman and barked, “ _What_ is your problem?”

Her dark eyes narrowed, her lips tightening. She seemed to consider multiple things to say before settling on a brisk, “No problem, yet.”

Charlie clenched her fists, her knuckles crackling. “What’s that supposed to mean? Be straight.”

Williams unfolded her arms to place her hands on her hips, straightening to her full height and turning her nose up slightly. “You are obviously a mercenary, and thugs only attract trouble.”

Charlie quirked an eyebrow. “Like you? Cause shit was fine until you opened your mouth.”

She made to retort, but the next voice Charlie heard was dual-toned and male: “Hey, hey, what’s going on here?”

She bristled, immediately thinking, _A cop, crap,_ only to remember in the next moment where she was. She looked at the turian who had spoken, and sure enough he wore C-Sec requisitioned armor.

“Oh, what the hell?” she blurted out. “Is this a military vessel or a flying circus?”

The turian laughed, a friendly and endearing sound, which was strange for Charlie. “That’s actually pretty accurate. We even have a krogan and quarian. Add some geth, a salarian or two, and some asari, and we’re in business.”

Charlie laughed, the action coming out of its own volition. “You’re the funniest cop I’ve ever met.”

He looked surprised, the mandibles along either side of his jaw lifting slightly. “Did Shepard tell you I was C-Sec?” Emphasis on the “was.” “Besides, you don’t look like any Alliance soldier I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s because she’s not an Alliance soldier,” Williams snapped from behind them, obviously offended by the insinuation.

“If I’m going to be taking orders all day then it’s going to be on my terms, with way better pay.” Charlie snorted, crossing her arms. “Anyway, Shepard didn’t tell me. I’ve been arrested by your lot far more times than I can count.” She smirked up at the turian. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me, I’m—”

“ _BARRACUDA!_ ”

When a krogan shouts, anyone’s first instinct is to duck and cover, so that’s what the trio attempted to do. They scattered in different directions, trying to find shelter in the mostly open cargo hold. But then their senses returned to them and they stood in random places around the room looking sheepish.

Charlie knew this krogan, something about the way his head crest was cracked, not to mention he called her by that title.

“Spirits, Wrex!” the turian scolded with a weak laugh. “Not all of us have a back-up heart, you know.”

“Heh, heh,” Wrex laughed slowly, amused. “It’ll keep you sharp, Garrus!” The krogan turned back to Charlie now, giving her a good once over before nodding definitively. “Yup, thought so. Shepard hooked the Barracuda, huh?”

Suddenly it clicked, and Charlie’s mouth dropped open. “Wrex? Urdnot Wrex? Holy shit, I don’t believe it!” She moved forward and clapped him on the arm, her grin stretched across her face genuinely. “Had any good jobs since we took down that Cerberus station in the Terminus Systems? That’s been a few years.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Some had their moments. Chasing down Saren has the best potential yet.”

“So I hear. I never would have thought I’d see you on a military vessel, much less Alliance.” Charlie paused and then added, “You know, as a friendly. Not tearing it up.”

Wrex laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound like thunder. “Same for you, kid. You not running with Javos anymore?”

Charlie’s heart thumped painfully in her chest, sweat sprang out on her brow and soaked her palms, her mind began to race. She clamped down on it with might, but still her voice wavered slightly when she replied, “No. Red Tide and I are done.”

If the krogan noticed any change in her demeanor he didn’t indicate it. He said, “Fair enough,” and that was that. They started to talk about the job they had run together, and the turian called Garrus joined in to listen. Even Williams was straining an ear to eavesdrop.

“So why ‘Barracuda’?” Garrus asked, looking from Charlie to Wrex for his answer.

“Ever seen one?” questioned Wrex. “Aggressive and fast, look like a flash of silver tearing through the water. That’s how the kid looks in combat.” He chuckled as though amused. “Helluva sight, funny too.”

“I liked the name you gave me so much I got a barracuda tattoo.” Charlie grinned, patting the outside of her right thigh.

Right then the intercom clicked on and Shepard’s voice filled the ship. “We’re making our approach to Therum. Ground team report to briefing.”

“That’s us,” said Garrus. “Who will be the lucky two to go with Shepard?”

“Finally, some action!” growled Wrex.

Charlie felt a thrill run up her spine, her nerves popping and crackling with biotic energy. She had to agree with Wrex. She was ready for some adventure, and there was no way Piper was going down on that planet without her.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may seem strange that Shepard just takes Charlie in when all the current evidence points to them not having seen each other in a long time. Bear with me, it will make more sense as the story progresses and you learn more about their past. Also, I want to go ahead and note that Charlie suffers from PTSD. I will try to do this disorder justice. I have experience with it as well as a ton of research. Anyway, enjoy!


	3. Team Building Activities

Therum was a harsh, volatile planet that boasted nothing but volcanic rock, ash, and lava flows that crisscrossed the terrain like deadly rivers. There was no breathable air without a helmet, so they held them between their knees as they bumped and tossed inside the Mako. Shepard sat at the controls, concentrating hard on her task. Kaidan took up the shotgun seat and Charlie was strapped in the back, but she leaned forward to hang between them.

“Let me drive.” Charlie’s grin was impish, her eyes glinting.

“No.” Piper’s response was curt and immediate.

“C’mooon, you don’t even like it!” She could tell by how she frowned and how hard she gripped the controls. 

“This is Alliance equipment and it’ll only be worked by Alliance personnel,” the commander spoke in that definitive tone that meant there was no room for negotiation. 

Charlie huffed, put out, and turned to look at Kaidan. “How do you live life following this war axe’s orders?” She jerked her thumb in Shepard’s direction.

Kaidan held back the urge to laugh and said, “No comment.”

“Smart man,” said Shepard.

Charlie rolled her eyes and was about to slump back into her seat when alarms started to go off. The light inside the Mako turned red and the weapons system came online.

“Geth incoming,” said Kaidan as he jabbed at the controls. “Looks like two armatures.”

“This thing’s cannon works, right?” asked Charlie, staring through the display as the two geth unrolled from their impact position and began to amble their way. This was the first time she had ever seen a geth in person, and these were huge.

“Oh yeah, it works.” Shepard smirked and pressed a button. The whole vehicle jerked and there was a deafening blast overhead. The closest armature blew into hundreds of pieces. 

Charlie laughed loudly and excitedly, grabbing Shepard by the shoulders and shaking her. “Now THAT’S a gun!”

“Quit it, Charlie, I can’t aim!”

Still laughing, she released Shepard but then all but leapt over her to slam her fist down on the deploy switch. The Mako jerked again, the missile tearing through the neck of the second armature. Its head hit the ground and blew up, taking the body with it. Piper wrestled a cheering Charlie back into her seat, scolding, “Sit down!”

Back in control, they continued on their way, navigating by radar that pinged the scientist’s location. Despite the violence of Therum’s landscape, they had not expected the geth to be here. Kaidan said as much as the Mako made its way through a tunnel, meeting and dispatching geth shock troops along the way. 

When they had taken out two more armatures, Charlie asked, “Who is this scientist and why are the geth so interested in him?”

“Her, actually,” corrected Kaidan. 

Shepard picked it up from there. “Her name is Liara T’Soni and she’s Benezia’s daughter.”

Charlie blinked, momentarily at a loss for why that name should clear everything up, and then she remembered her informal briefing earlier. “Oh, the asari on the geth data Tali had, right?”

“Yes.”

“Not only that,” added Kaidan, “she’s a Prothean expert, and the artifact on Eden Prime was Prothean.”

“You still haven’t told me much about that beacon, Pip. Why is it so important?”

Shepard was quiet for a long time, focusing on the path ahead. Beside her Kaidan was shifting, tilting his head downward. Charlie didn’t speak, she simply waited, studying their reactions.

“It was…a vision, I think,” the commander finally said. “When I got near it I saw these images in my head, but nothing made any sense.”

“So you’re hoping this asari can help you figure out what it means?”

Shepard nodded. “It’s vital we retrieve her.”

Charlie sat back, crossing one leg over the other and leaning her elbows against the back of the chair. “Say no more.”

***

Eventually the radar led them to a dead-end for the Mako. Along the way they had run into dozens of geth, including a Colossus, but with Shepard on the big gun and Kaidan controlling the automated weapons, they soon took them out. Charlie was itching for action as she climbed out, eagerly checking to be sure each of the three guns she carried were loaded and ready to go. She unholstered her Carnifex hand cannon, flipping the safety off.

“Joker, we’re continuing on foot. Retrieve the Mako from these coordinates,” Shepard said into the transmitter in her helmet, then turned to Kaidan and Charlie as she inputted the coordinates to her Omni-tool. “We’re more than likely going to encounter more geth ahead. Ready?”

They nodded in unison. Shepard took point and they began to move. Their destination was a mine in the distance, that’s where the scientist’s tracker was pinging. As they crested the hill a dark ship flew overhead, dropping cargo that rumbled the ground like an earthquake when it hit. There was a strange mechanical chattering as geth poured from the impact sites, a Colossus unfolding behind them. They were right at the entrance to the mine. Equipment and crates of supplies sat abandoned all over the landscape. 

“Take cover!” shouted Shepard as shots rang out.

Charlie rolled to place her back against a crate, her shields automatically powering up as it repelled bullet after bullet. She looked around, searching for the source of the shots, and caught a glimpse of a very limber, frog-like creature just as it leapt away. Gritting her teeth, she barreled after it. She slammed up against a stack of girders, quickly taking aim with her hand cannon. Its shots were slow but powerful, one just couldn’t afford to miss. The leaping geth jumped down on top of the girders to fire at her, but before it could Charlie pulled the trigger. The head of the geth blew off with some more mechanical clicking and she was on to other targets.

The Colossus was taking out their cover with each blast, the world around them screaming and shaking as shrapnel from the crates and bullets shot off in every direction.

“Move on the Colossus!” Shepard yelled from somewhere in the fray, her voice echoing inside Charlie’s head.

Together, they opened fire on the giant geth. Once its shields were down, Kaidan stood on one of the remaining crates and threw a blast of biotic energy skipping across the ground to knock the geth back, its four legs crumpling under it. There was a loud technical growling and the Colossus exploded, taking the remaining geth troopers with it.

They remained in cover for a moment, but the coast was clear. “Good job, Kaidan,” Piper said as they convened at the base of the mine’s entrance ramp. He nodded, reloading his weapon and rolling one of his shoulders. Charlie was looking around at the destruction as Shepard opened the door to the mine. The commander led the way inside, their boots loud and heavy against the metal flooring. They were silent as they moved—there was no need to speak. Charlie was considering the geth weak points she had observed, trying to ignore the headache that was pinching painfully inside her right temple.

“Hello? Is anybody out there?”

The three of them stopped, looking around in confusion. Where had that voice come from?

“Commander, down there,” said Kaidan, pointing toward the back of the cavern where the top of a large blue barrier could be seen, and just in front of that an elevator leading down.

“Move,” commanded Shepard.

They took the rickety elevator down a level and approached the barrier, holding their weapons at their sides. Beyond the force field, each limb caught in a metal claw, an additional spherical barrier surrounding her, was an asari.

“Oh, thank the goddess, you’re not geth!”

Shepard and her team exchanged looks, and then she asked, “Are you Liara T’Soni? What happened?”

“Yes, I am Dr. T’Soni,” she replied. She had the same lyrical quality to her voice that most asari possessed, but she sounded—understandably—panicked. “I was studying this artifact and must have tripped the defense system. I can’t believe it’s still operational! Then the geth arrived, and they’ve been trying to get to me. They have a krogan with them!”

“Calm down,” the commander said firmly. “We can handle the geth and the krogan, but how do we get you out of there?”

“I…I don’t know,” Dr. T’Soni admitted. “There’s an elevator behind me. Maybe you can get in from a lower level?”

Shepard looked back at her team for a moment, and then said, “Hold tight, we’ll get you out.” To Kaidan and Charlie she said, “Back to the elevator.”

“I’ll be here!” the asari scientist called after them as they filed back onto the lift.

The control panel began to spark when the elevator started descending, and halfway down it ground to a halt, sparks flying from the corners of the door.

“Piece of shit,” Charlie muttered and she kicked the control panel. She tore the whole thing from the console, and the door slid open with a screech.

Shepard chuckled. “Good job, Charlie.”

They dropped down to the platform, bending their knees to cushion the impact.

“Spread out and look for a way to get around that barrier,” said Shepard and they obeyed. Charlie went to the left, walking along the stone wall as she looked for structural weaknesses or anything else that could get them to the doctor.

Finally she came across a console embedded in the rock. She scanned it with her Omni-tool, information on an old mining laser model coming up on the display.

“Yo, Piper! What about this?” she called out, still studying the console. A key was required to activate it, and after so many tries they would be locked out, perhaps permanently. She was running through possible combinations on her Omni-tool when Shepard and Kaidan appeared at her side.

“What do you think?” asked Charlie.

“I think it’s worth a shot,” said Piper.

There was a beep as a decryption key was generated. Shepard and Kaidan aimed the laser toward a wall of rock beneath the barrier and fell back beside Charlie so she could enter the code.

There was a hum as the laser warmed up, and then an earsplitting, mechanical screech that tore through the air with the laser beam. When it struck, the rocks exploded violently, shooting rubble all over the mine.

Shepard and her team ducked and waited for the dust to clear. When it had, there was a path leading further into the mine, directly to the elevator that would take them up to Liara T’Soni.

***

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Dr. T’Soni was saying as she tenderly rubbed her arms. They were quite sore. “I was afraid I was going to die in here.”

“You can thank us by telling us what you know about your mother,” Shepard said, surprising the asari.

“Benezia? I…Does this have anything to do with the geth being here?”

“You tell us,” replied Piper, raising one eyebrow. “But it can wait until we’re back on the Normandy. Come on.”

However, as the four climbed onto the elevator the mine started to shake, pieces of rock raining down around them. There was a humongous cracking from overheard, and Liara gasped.

“It’s caving in!”

Shepard all but punched the console to control the lift, at the same time radioing Joker for immediate pick up.

“Commander Shepard, there’s eezo in this mine,” said Liara urgently. “It’s probably going to explode.”

“Then we need to be clear before that happens,” responded Piper, popping the heat sink on her submachine pistol. “Can you defend yourself?”

Liara produced a handgun from her uniform and held it up. “I’m also a trained biotic.”

“Always need another one of those,” muttered Piper sarcastically.

The elevator rose to the top level of the mine. From where they stood they could see the ramp leading up to the exit, a krogan warlord accompanied by geth troopers was making his way down. They seemed to be entirely unconcerned that the mine was shaking and groaning, threatening to fall in at any moment. 

“Hand over the asari, humans,” growled the krogan as he and his team stopped in front of them. “Or don’t, that’d be more fun.” He laughed. 

“This place is caving in and it’ll take you with it, too,” said Piper, attempting in vain to reason with the warlord. 

His response was to laugh more loudly and say, “Even more fun! All right you robotic pyjaks, get that asari!”

There was mechanical clicking as the geth responded and moved forward, opening fire.

Shepard grabbed Liara and dragged her to cover at the same time that Charlie and Kaidan rolled away. The room had a generator in the center and bulkheads protruding from the walls; they used these for cover, each one keeping an eye on the krogan. They had a tendency to charge.

Charlie’s vision was starting to blur as she reached around to take out a geth trooper. Her headache from earlier was turning into a full-blown migraine. The ringing that started up in her ears quickly became so loud it felt as though her skull strained to contain the noise. Pain shot through her nerves, popping at her joints and inside her head. 

The sounds and sights of the battle blended together but she fought on, desperate to escape what she knew in her gut was coming. Her breath came quickly, sweat soaked her inside her armor, and goosebumps covered her.

She heard a clicking by her ear and instinctively brought her elbow back, connecting with the metal chest of a geth. Her arm screamed in pain but the trooper was knocked off balance long enough for her to turn and take it out point blank. 

There was shouting and then a roar, the ground shook beneath her feet. Frantically, Charlie turned to see the krogan warlord charging. He was headed straight for her. 

The pain was immense as her whole body seemed to pinch and then release, every ounce of her energy expelling forth. The sound of warping, of a deafening cracking, and a shout of her name accompanied her into darkness. 

When she came to her body was screaming in so much pain that she was immobilized. She could hear familiar voices shouting nearby, and then she was lifted up, crying out in anguish at the contact. 

“Move, move, move!” someone was yelling but she couldn’t even consider opening her eyes, she was trying to contain herself.

There was a burst of light and then an explosion, and that’s the last thing she remembered. 

***

Reality came back to Charlie slowly at first, and then all at once. She gasped, her eyes snapping open and the soreness in her muscles causing her to cringe.

“Miss Evans? Try to stay still, your body has been under immense stress.” The voice was wise and kind. Charlie looked up to see an older woman with short gray hair smiling slightly at her. She let her gaze keep going, taking in her surroundings. It was easy to assume she was in the med-bay and, judging by the woman’s Alliance uniform, on the Normandy.

Charlie could already guess what happened but she asked anyway, along with “Who are you?”

“I’m Dr. Chakwas. According to the commander, staff lieutenant, and Dr. T’Soni, you released a powerful biotic blast before blacking out. How long have you had your amplifier?”

“Since I was eleven,” said Charlie, watching as Dr. Chakwas entered some information into a datapad. She would need to make sure to delete that file later when she had a chance to get into the system.

“How old are you now?”

“Twenty-nine.”

“The Alliance didn’t give you this implant, who did?”

“Bernie.”

The doctor seemed to almost choke, lowering the datapad to look at the woman before her.

“Who?”

Charlie barely batted an eye. “I never knew his last name. He ran the holo store on the corner.”

The doctor muttered something as she lifted a hand to cover her eyes, only able to imagine the implications of this revelation. After a moment to compose herself she said, “I’m afraid there’s nothing to do for it, trying to replace it has a high risk of brain damage. How often do you practice your biotics?”

Charlie began to squirm now, despite her injury. She was starting to feel like a soldier facing reprimand under the doctor’s questions and steady stare.

“Uh…once a year?” she replied uncertainly. She honestly didn’t know, she had been avoiding using her powers since she was thirteen.

If Dr. Chakwas was surprised, she didn’t show it. “While the L2 amplifier comes with a slew of side effects, they can sometimes be lessened by regular practice.” She set the datapad in her lap, smiling more easily now. “You’re not an Alliance soldier so I can’t give you an order, but consider it. Rest here as long as you need to, you’re released.”

She stood to walk away but stopped when Charlie asked, “Where’s my armor? Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone is fine,” she assured her. “Commander Shepard put your things in your locker. Dr. T’Soni has joined our crew, she’s right through there actually.” She gestured to a door opposite the med-bay’s entrance. “She was quite worried about you, actually. Kaidan has been in here to see you, too.”

Charlie sat up slowly, gingerly swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “How long have I been out?”

“Several hours. We’re a couple more from the Feros colony.” Dr. Chakwas sat at her desk, angling her chair to watch Charlie.

She stood slowly, her body screaming in protest. She felt chilly, placing her bare feet to the cold metal floor, wearing only the black cloth shorts and Blasto tank top she always wore beneath her armor. As she tested certain movements her eye caught the inside of her left thigh. There was a knotted white keloid scar where that morning there had been a nasty open wound from a shotgun blast.

“I applied medi-gel to that,” stated Dr. Chakwas. “It seemed quite painful. You should have seen me before landing on Therum.”

“Thank you,” Charlie said awkwardly, “for, uh, everything. I’m gonna go find Piper now.”

As Charlie left the infirmary she caught sight of Kaidan Alenko sitting at the table in the mess with a cup of coffee. He looked up as Charlie walked over, looking both a little relieved and a little surprised. Dressed as she was, Charlie’s silver and blue barracuda tattoo on her right thigh was mostly visible, as were red and gold leopard spots over her left shoulder, a couple spots traveling down her back and arms.

“I just learned I crapped out on you guys,” she said as she stopped beside the table. “My bad.”

“That biotic force you released took out that krogan in one hit,” Kaidan said. His tone was mixed with reverence and concern. “How are you doing?”

“Sore as hell but I’ll live, I always do,” she replied with a cheeky smirk. “I’ll catch you around, Kaidan.”

The search for Shepard ended on the bridge. Piper stood behind the pilot’s chair, one hand resting on top of it. When she heard Charlie come up behind her she turned, smirking slightly at seeing who it was.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Ha ha,” Charlie said sarcastically. “I heard from the doc that you managed to rescue your Prothean expert. She help you like you hoped?”

Shepard held up a hand, saying something to Joker, and then began to leave the bridge. Charlie fell into step beside her. 

“She’s helped me make a little sense out of my visions,” Shepard said. Something in her tone told Charlie she wasn’t saying everything, but she let it go for now. “So, I see your biotics have only gotten more out of control.”

She felt like a child scolded. Hunching her shoulders up, she muttered, “Yeah, they’re not too good…”

“What did Chakwas have to say?”

“She thinks training will help.” Charlie looked over at Piper. “Up for some biotic boxing?”

Shepard laughed, but said, “Tempting, but I think Kaidan is a better choice for trainer.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow, her visage quizzical. “Why him?”

“He’s also an L2,” she explained. “The Alliance equipped me with an L3.”

Charlie sighed. “Well, I guess we can get started after we get done with Feros.”

Now Shepard’s eyebrow raised. “‘We’? Who says I’m letting you come with me after what just happened on Therum?”

Charlie blinked, feeling dumbfounded. “What?” was all she managed to blurt out.

Piper sighed, stopping in front of the door leading to the starboard stairwell. She turned to face Charlie. “You need to rest, and I can’t risk you losing control again.”

Charlie clinched her teeth, fighting back the anger that had just flared up behind her eyes. “I took out that krogan, didn’t I?”

Piper rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. “Yes, you did, but _unintentionally_. What if someone on the team gets hit? What if you seizing up gets you killed? I can’t risk it. You’re staying on the Normandy, Charlie.”

Her face heated up now, her eyes feeling hot with frustration. “You can’t fucking order me around, I’m not one of your crew!”

Shepard leveled her gaze with Charlie, her stare steady and uncompromising. “If you’re going to live on this ship and join this mission then you will be part of this crew and follow my commands. If you can’t do that, we’ll take you wherever you want to go. But you’re not going down on Feros.”

Charlie’s mouth hung open. She was speechless. Piper had always been pragmatic and a natural leader, but she and Charlie were equals. Suddenly that balance had shifted and she didn’t know if she could handle that. 

She clenched her fists and said, “I’m going to get a shower. I’ll see you on Feros, _Commander_.”

* * *


	4. Part of the Team?

Charlie leaned her elbows against the shower wall, letting the hot water run down her back. She held a lit cigarette between her lips, careful to keep it out of the stream of H2O. She blew the smoke toward the drain and dragged deeply on it again.

Who did Piper think she was? She had never ordered Charlie around before. They were partners, they were equal, but now she was to just bend the knee?

She spat, watching the spittle race into the drain. She pulled on the cigarette again.

Maybe she didn’t belong here. She and Piper hadn’t seen each other for eleven years, after all. They had stayed in touch through holoclips and messages up until Piper was assigned to the Normandy, but it was possible they were too different now.

The thought saddened her so deeply it was like her heart was literally crushed. Perhaps she should have Shepard drop her off on Omega and forget the whole thing.

The door to the bathroom slid open. Charlie grasped her cigarette between her fingers, turned to see who it was, and groaned when she saw Piper.

“Go the fuck away.”

“You’re not supposed to smoke on this vessel.”

“That an order, your majesty?” sneered Charlie.

Piper didn’t respond, she just stood where she was, her arms over her chest. She remained silent, staring at the back of Charlie’s head. The other woman’s short red hair was soaked and slicked back, not even reaching past the top of her shoulders.

Finally, she spoke: “Can you tell when an episode with your biotics is about to happen?”

Charlie shut off the water and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her body and tucking the corner in. She tossed her cigarette down the drain, ignoring Shepard’s disdainful frown. “Yes, about ninety-nine percent of the time,” she said in answer to her question. “It always begins as a headache right here.” She tapped her right temple with her index finger.

Shepard was silent, staring straight into Charlie’s eyes. After a few moments, she uncrossed her arms to place her hands on her hips, and said, “I’m going to trust you on that. But what I said is still true. I have lives on the line because of me, Charlie.” She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead and closing her eyes. “I don’t want to be your boss, but what I’m doing is so important; I need the best and I need them to work together. I want you to join my crew, and I want you to know that I will never take you for granted.” She opened her eyes then and Charlie saw the warm amber sincerity. 

Charlie sighed, grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the top of a small pile of clothes on the dry bench. She extracted one and lit up. After a few puffs she held it trapped in her fingers and admitted reluctantly, “It’s going to take some getting used to this new dynamic.”

“I know,” said Piper sympathetically. 

There was a brief silence again and then Charlie said, “Just one thing.”

“What?”

“I want a fight.” Charlie stared her down, showing her that she was serious. “An all-out, drag-out between just you and me. I need to know where we stand.”

Piper leveled her gaze at her old friend, considering her demands seriously. Finally, she held out her hand. “Deal.”

Charlie hesitated, then grabbed Piper’s hand and shook it. Instead of releasing her hand afterward, she dragged Shepard toward her, pushing her under the stream of still running water. The commander yelped in surprise, and then started to laugh, wrestling herself out of Charlie’s grip to grab the red head’s clothes.

By the time the two left the bathroom, they were sopping wet. 

***

When the Normandy landed on the Feros colony, Charlie stayed on board. The commander had Garrus and Tali on her team today, and Charlie knew that at least the turian was capable, so she wasn’t concerned. She saw them off with a reluctant wave.

But now she had all kinds of free time and she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. She entered the bridge to look through the windows at Feros, but the view really only showed the port. She was a bit surprised to see Joker still in the cockpit. 

“I have yet to see you out of that chair,” she commented. She leaned against the vacant co-pilot seat.

“Hey, Sha’ira, gonna blast me away?”

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, tempted to kick his chair, but she resisted. “You just sit here all day?”

“What of it?” he asked somewhat defensively and she raised her hands, indicating she didn’t mean to cause offensive.

She decided to change the subject, pointing to the comic book laying open across his lap. “That wouldn’t happen to be the newest _Blasto_ , would it?” She tried to keep the longing out of her voice but failed.

Joker smirked, taking note of a certain hanar Spectre on her tank top. “Maaaybe.”

“Don’t fuck with me, pilot. Is that _Blasto 515: Drella’s Demise_ or not?”

“You tell me,” he replied, holding up the book so she could see the front cover. Two characters took up the foreground of the image, a hanar in a gunbelt and leather jacket, and a female drell in revealing spandex. The background was a giant star explosion.

Charlie made a grab for it but Joker yanked it back, tutting like a mother hen. “Why should I let you borrow this, _Sha’ira?_ ” He smirked.

She glared at him, already knowing where this was going. “What do you want?”

Joker made an exaggerated show of thinking, placing his hand on his chin and _hmm_ ing obnoxiously. “Get on your knees and tell me I’m the best pilot in the galaxy. No! The universe!”

“What?!” Charlie exclaimed, jumping onto her feet. “Fuck no, I am not getting on my knees for you, _Joker!_ ”

“Is this a bad time?”

Charlie felt ice race along her spine and she turned to see Kaidan in the doorway, his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed.

Joker turned around in his chair, an impish expression on his face. “Hey, Kaidan. It’s not a bad time, Charlie was about to get on her knees and tell me I’m the best pilot ever,” he said cheerfully.

“I was not!”

“Then no _Blasto_ for you,” Joker said childishly, holding the comic book protectively to his chest.

Charlie rolled her eyes. “I’ll get my hands on that comic, flyboy. You just wait.”

Joker stuck his tongue out at her and she responded in kind. A soft chuckle caused both of them to turn their heads, tongues hanging out like dogs.

“If you two are done,” he said through another laugh. “I came to get my PDA.”

Charlie stepped out of his way as he moved toward the co-pilot chair. She thumped Joker on the head as she walked by, casually making her exit from the bridge. She was considering what to get into when Kaidan appeared by her side, PDA in hand.

“I see you and Joker are hitting it off,” he said.

“Pfft, yeah right,” Charlie replied, laughing a bit. “He’ll learn to share.”

“Something tells me you’ll be teaching him that?” he inquired.

Charlie smirked, but the word “teaching” triggered a reminder in her brain. “Speaking of teaching…You’ve been recommended to me.”

Kaidan was surprised enough to stop walking. Their leisurely pace had only gotten them to the galaxy map. “To teach you? What?”

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh at his cluelessness, it was somehow endearing. “You know how my biotics exploded?” He nodded. “Well, it happens from time to time. Often. Erm, a lot. It’s only getting worse. Dr. Chakwas thinks some biotic training would lessen the frequency of my…attacks.”

“Did Chakwas suggest me? Why?”

“Actually, it was Piper.” Charlie didn’t miss the subtle changes in Kaidan that occurred when she spoke Shepard’s name. He straightened himself a bit, his cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and his eyes began to shine a little.

“Shepard? What did she say?”

She paid close attention to his body language as she responded, “She said you would be a good choice because we both have L2 implants.”

As she suspected, he deflated slightly that it was so simple. She bit back a smirk.

“That makes sense, but we should wait until you’re a hundred percent again,” he said.

“Fine by me. I’ll catch you later, Kaidan.”

As she walked away she released the smirk she had been holding. She would need some more evidence, but it appeared Kaidan Alenko had a thing for his commanding officer. 

***

Charlie headed down to cargo and opened her locker. She retrieved a large hardbound notebook and a drawstring bag before locking the door back and glancing around. The only one kicking about the cargo hold currently was Wrex. He was standing at a bench, a gun laid out in pieces before him. He was cleaning each one carefully, surprisingly deft with only three fingers per hand. She sat against the wall near the lockers with her knees bent, balancing the book on her thighs. She opened it, flipping through colorful and abstract paintings to a blank page. She opened the bag, pulling out small bottles of tempera paint and brushes.

It wasn’t often that she had the time or excuse to paint, so sometimes she forgot how much she really enjoyed it. The task was relaxing; it freed her mind, like it was being scrubbed anew. She chose bold colors for this particular piece: Red, black, and orange. She never thought much about her subject, she just put bristles to paper, but as she worked she began to be reminded of life on Omega.

This is what Charlie was doing when the alarms went off and the Normandy’s drive core powered up. Joker came over the loudspeaker, urgently informing them that “The colonists are attacking the Normandy! Prepare for emergency takeoff!” 

_Piper!_ screamed her mind. She leapt up, leaving her paint forgotten, and almost broke her locker door as she yanked it open. In record time she had her armor on and her weapons holstered. She cursed the slow elevator as it took her up to the Combat Information Center, and when the doors opened she sprinted through the ship. No one paid much attention as just about everyone was running around in a well-focused frenzy.

“Joker, let me off!” Charlie shouted into the bridge as she hit the door control leading into the pressurization chamber. She couldn’t hear his reply, but she had given him little choice now. As the chamber stabilized she chose her rapid-fire submachine pistol and took a defensive stance.

“They’re unarmed!” shouted Joker over the intercom. “Don’t kill them!”

“God damn it,” Charlie muttered, but put away her gun and readied her fists. As the door slid open, half a dozen people poured in without weapons, just their hands held out like zombies in the old vids. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed in surprise, punching out the first woman to get close. She knocked them out one by one and then raced through docking, a small gaggle of colonists in pursuit. “What the fuck?!”

Charlie barreled out of the spaceport and kept going, realizing that she hadn’t thought this through and now she had a mob on her hands. As she darted around the long, central building, however, she discovered that she wouldn’t have to think too quickly—Shepard, Garrus, and Tali were closing in on colonists from the other side, lobbing grenades whose gas was causing the people to faint. 

“Piper! Over here!” shouted Charlie, waving her arms in the air. But she had stopped running, and the mob caught up. They covered her, drawing her down onto her knees heavily as they clawed at her like animals. Mostly their nails scraped across her armor, but more than a couple got her face.

“Charlie, don’t breathe!” shouted Piper and then she heard the thud of something hitting the ground nearby. Instinctively, she did as Shepard said and held her breath, also pinching her nose closed and shutting her eyes. She listened to the hiss as the canister released its contents, and one by one the colonists slumped to the ground with heavy thumps. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the lingering gas. When she opened her eyes she wasn’t surprised to see it was Piper.

“Are you all right? What the hell are you doing?” the commander questioned.

Charlie’s mind was still hyper-focused on one thing: “Why is everyone in the colony a _zombie_?!”

“They’re being controlled,” said Tali as she and Garrus moved to join them.

“I guess we should thank you for pulling them all in like that,” Garrus commented. “It made it easier to knock them out with the grenades.”

Shepard waved her hand, shutting down all the conversations but hers. “What happened, Charlie?”

“Colonists started attacking the Normandy. Joker was preparing for emergency takeoff when I jumped off to come find you.” Charlie crossed her arms, staring Piper down. “Your turn.”

“There’s a giant alien sentient plant indoctrinating all of Zhu’s Hope and Saren’s geth are here to get it for him.”

Charlie blinked, momentarily stunned. “Man, you get all the crazy as shit stories.”

“Because I get all the crazy as shit assignments,” Piper muttered. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Shepard,” whispered Tali just loud enough for them to hear, “but it’s Fai Dan.”

The strained infliction to her voice put them on alert and they turned in the quarian’s direction, weapons raised.

A man trudged toward them, a gun pressed to his temple by his own hand. He was middle-aged, with dark hair and a face pinched with pain. He moved as if every step was a physical activity of monumental proportions.

Shepard watched him warily, her finger poised on the trigger. “Fai Dan?”

“It…wants me…to kill you…Commander…” He struggled to speak, his words coming out like someone’s hands were wrapped around his throat and squeezing. “But I…refuse…”

“Fai Dan, hold on. We’re going to stop this, _now_. Just _hold on_.”

“I…can’t…” The hand holding the gun began to shake violently, and then slowly lowered until it was pointed at Shepard. Garrus, Tali, and Charlie all moved closer, guns lifted, but the commander held up a fist to stop them.

“No!” Fai Dan cried, tears starting to stream down his face. “This is my fault! I…failed them!” His gaze locked onto Shepard, the gun slowly, in fits and starts, lifting to his head again. “Forgive…me!” he cried into the sky, and fired.

The silence following the shot was deafening.

“Poor bastard,” Garrus lamented quietly, bowing his head. “Just another reason to stop Saren.”

“C’mon,” Shepard said, her jaw clenched tight as she tore her gaze from the man’s body. She moved toward a stairwell that led underground. “We need to make sure he didn’t die in vain.”

But before the commander led the way into darkness, she stopped to look at Fai Dan one more time. She shook her head, muttering, “If I had just one more grenade,” and Charlie’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.

***

No one knew what to expect when they got down into the ruins, the least of all Charlie. Tali did her best to fill her in, but she may as well have been a hanar trying to communicate with her using bioluminescence. So when she saw the Thorian, her jaw almost hit the floor.

“The fuck is that?!”

Calling this thing a plant seemed like the understatement of the century. It was massive, with roots as big around as the redwoods back home. These roots were anchored deep into the tunnels of the ruin, and green humanoid creatures were milling around them. The worst thing of all was the smell—it stank like a giant backed up sewer in a city where everyone had dysentery. From where they stood on the highest level, they could see all, but also be seen, so they melted back into a dark corner to strategize.

“Charlie could just _fall on it_ ,” Tali said pointedly.

“I _knew_ you hadn’t let that go!”

“Stop it,” Piper scolded and sighed. “We need real ideas here.”

“Those… _things_ are watching the roots for a reason,” Charlie said more seriously. “I bet if we take those out it dies.”

“I don’t think that’ll kill it directly,” amended Garrus, “but I think it will fall to its death. Did you see that it’s holding itself above the cavern they dug it out of?”

“But we won’t _be sure_ it’s dead if we do that,” chimed in Tali. “Plus it seems a shame to kill such a unique creature…”

“It is, but it’s too dangerous to leave alive. Saren is just the first, any number of people could want to try taking advantage of its mind control abilities,” said Shepard. “What’s the best way to kill a plant?”

“Fire?” Charlie and Garrus said simultaneously, then looked at each other.

“Exactly. We’ll take out the roots but before we sever that last one, I’ll lob all of our grenades at the Thorian. That’ll take it out and it can burn all the way to hell.”

Charlie, Garrus, and Tali nodded in agreement. They checked their guns and turned toward the exit to the lower levels, where now a green asari stood, brow furrowed angrily.

_“I will DESTROY you!”_

A shockwave skipped toward them and they dove out of the way, just barely clearing the field. Shepard was the first back on her feet, firing shot after shot at the asari, but now the humanoid minions were piling out of the doorway toward them.

“Focus on the commando, we’ll get these veggie heads!” Charlie shouted to Piper and the commander nodded.

Garrus fell back, taking up cover behind a pillar where he had the ability to snipe the Thorian’s minions straight through the skull. The only problem with that was that they exploded. Pus and acid went everywhere, droplets sizzling against Charlie’s skin as she and Tali practically danced around self-destructing plant zombies and stray biotics from Shepard’s fight with the asari commando.

When the last Thorian slave went down, the three turned to assist Shepard, but she hit the asari with a warp and shouted to them, “Go after the roots!”

Charlie was reluctant to leave her behind, but she could see that Piper was more than holding her own against the asari, so she turned and followed Garrus and Tali toward the nearest root, about fifty yards away.

“Tali, you focus on taking that root down,” said Garrus. “Charlie and I will defend you.” He looked to Charlie for confirmation and she nodded.

As soon as Tali began to fire away at the root, more of the Thorian creepers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Garrus switched out his rifle for an assault weapon and he and Charlie tore into them. They belched and screeched as they exploded. When Tali finally had the root incinerated, it sprayed acidic pus over the three comrades. 

“That’s it, I’m never going to feel clean again,” Charlie moaned, wiping slime from her gun. 

From above they heard the popping sound of a biotic shockwave as it tore through the air with the force of a charging krogan. The next thing they heard was the screech of the commando being thrown from the ledge and into the dark cavern. In moments Shepard had rendezvoused with her squad.

“Good work, now let’s take care of the rest of them.”

They quickly fell into a routine: Tali burned through the thick trunks while Shepard, Garrus, and Charlie wiped out the veggie heads. They destroyed each root this way until they came to the last one. Standing atop this one was another green asari.

“Where the hell are these asari coming from?” Piper groaned.

“I didn’t even know they could _be_ green,” admitted Charlie.

“You should ask Liara,” suggested Tali.

“Uh, guys? More creepers,” Garrus said as if he were pointing out rainclouds on the horizon.

Immediately things did not go as planned. The creepers came in such force that they quickly overcame Tali and Charlie. Garrus and Shepard were successfully falling back until the asari cartwheeled into the fight. She hit Shepard in the side with a biotic throw attack that tossed the commander into Garrus, sending them both sprawling in the rubble.

When it seemed they would be overcome, Piper drew deep within herself and released a shockwave that blasted the Thorian’s spawn to shreds and even knocked the commando off her feet. Tali quickly pinned the asari by crushing her throat with her foot, and Charlie finished her off with a shot through the head, executioner-style. 

“The root!” shouted Garrus, and Tali turned toward it, bringing up her Omni-tool to activate the incinerate function on her suit.

As the last root was cut loose, the Thorian began to fall. It released waves of acidic pus as the jagged rocks jutting from the walls cut into it. Shepard and the team rushed to the ground floor and arrived just in time to toss their grenades onto the Thorian just as it finally tore loose and fell. The following explosion shook the ruins and smoke bellowed from the cavern like the mouth of a volcano.

There was coughing from behind and they whipped around, weapons raised. It was another green asari, identical to the others, but this one looked immensely friendlier. She held her hands up, her expression panicked.

“Wait, please!”

“Who are you?” demanded Commander Shepard.

“I am Shiala,” she said slowly, obviously out of breath and uncomfortable; it wasn’t clear if she was upset, in pain, or both. “I was given to The Old Growth by Saren. I was loyal, and he used me as a pawn!” Her tone was angry.

“Wait, you worked for Saren?” Shepard asked, her gun trained on the asari Shiala’s heart.

“I was one of Benezia’s commandos, I was following my Matriarch’s orders. At least at first.” Shiala looked confused as she thought back on the chain of events that had led her to this moment. “I’m not sure how, but before long we were all unyieldingly loyal to Saren, even Benezia.”

“So when he ordered you to come to the Thorian…” Garrus began and Shiala nodded solemnly.

“I obeyed without pause.”

Shepard and her team exchanged glances as they processed this information. Somehow Saren was controlling his allies. This opened a slew of new questions, such as had any of them actually joined the Spectre out of choice?

“Commander…?” said Shiala timidly. They turned to her again. “The Thorian sensed something in you…something it recognized from thousands of years ago. It…I’m not sure how to describe this, but it gave me a cipher. It was going to use it on you, but I sense that it was to extract knowledge only. I could share this with you?”

“How?” asked Shepard, her brow furrowed incredulously.

“Have you ever heard of asari mind melding, Commander?” Shiala asked.

“Not this again,” muttered Garrus and Charlie looked at him in surprise. Again?

“Do it.” Shepard stepped toward the asari, her gaze level with hers.

Charlie stepped forward to stop Piper, she didn’t know if what she was doing was safe, but it was too late. Shiala had already closed her eyes, and when she opened them again they were entirely black.

“Embrace eternity!” she exclaimed.

To Charlie, Garrus, and Tali, they saw a woman’s intense gaze send Shepard stumbling, clutching her head. Charlie ran forward, placing her hands on her shoulders to steady her.

“Piper? Piper!”

The commander shook her head and looked up at Charlie, placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “I’m all right, I’m fine. Just have to…process this.”

“Commander, what should we do with the asari?” Garrus inquired. He was the only one who hadn’t lowered his gun. Shiala looked at him nervously.

Shepard stepped toward the former commando, her expression neutral. “This question may be inane, but are you still being controlled? By Saren, or the Thorian?”

Shiala shook her head vigorously. “The Thorian erased my enthrallment to Saren to replace it with its own, and now that it’s dead I don’t hear it anymore.”

“Where will you go if I let you live?” Piper asked casually, as if she hadn’t just indirectly threatened the asari’s life.

Shiala was so nervous it was hard to tell if she picked up on the threat or not. “I’ll stay here, help rebuild the colony, or help them off-world. I feel…obligated to them for what has happened.”

Shepard seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded. “Then do that.”

“Thank you, Commander!” exclaimed Shiala. She took point on the way out of the ruins.

***

Upon return to the Normandy, Shepard was immediately pulled away by a call from the galactic council—wow—so Charlie retreated to the women’s bathroom with her pack of cigarettes.

She didn’t bother to turn on the shower, she just sat on the bench with her back against the wall and her knees bent. She was staring straight ahead at the wall, but she wasn’t seeing it. Her mind was back on Feros, on Fai Dan.

_If I had just one more grenade._

Had Charlie remained on the Normandy like she was supposed to, would Shepard have had that one grenade needed to save Fai Dan? If she had followed orders, he could still be alive.

_But if you hadn’t followed orders on Laconix those people would be alive,_ her mind sneered back.

She pressed her forehead against her knees, shutting her eyes tight. She pushed back at the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Using all of her willpower, she released the pent up feelings a little at a time. She dragged so hard on her cigarette that she almost burnt it halfway with one inhalation. Exhaling the smoke through her nose, she leaned her head back against the wall.

Charlie sat in the bathroom for a long time. Crew came in and out, giving her strange looks, and turning their noses up at the smoke, but no one said anything. She ignored them, focusing on steadily walking her mind back to a reasonable place. It wanted to deal in black and white when everything was coming up gray. It was never as easy as just doing as you’re told, nothing was absolute.

It was a couple hours later when she felt calm enough to leave what had quickly become her safe place, but she remembered her abandoned paint so she made her way to the cargo bay. As she stepped off the elevator she saw that someone else had already found her sketchbook and was currently leafing through it thoughtfully. 

“I see the military didn’t teach you a sense of privacy,” Charlie said to Piper as she moved to stand in front of her. The commander was leaning against the wall, the sketchbook balanced on one palm as she turned the pages, pausing long enough to give each image a thorough look.

Piper ignored her. “These are good. Weird, but I like it. I’m glad you’ve kept painting.”

Charlie shifted uncomfortably on her feet. If it had been anyone but Shepard looking through her book she would have laid them out, but still she felt awkward by the praise.

“Yeah, well…It’s calming, y’know?” Charlie mumbled. She gathered up her paint and brushes and put them back into the drawstring bag. She snatched the notebook from Shepard’s hands, walked to her locker, opened the door, and tossed her stuff inside.

“How are you doing, Charlie?” Piper asked seriously, crossing her arms as she moved to stand beside her. “I noticed you disappeared after we embarked.”

Charlie frowned; nothing seemed to get past the Shepard. “I just needed some peace.”

It was obvious Piper knew what she meant by “peace,” but she didn’t pry. Instead, she placed her hand on Charlie’s shoulder, meet her eyes, and said, “You did good today.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Veggie heads” is a reference to the cultivated humans in Yu Yu Hakusho, The Four Saint Beasts arc. Also I just want to note: Even though this story is mostly canon, not everything is going to be PRECISELY canon. There will be small changes.


	5. Normandy Life

It would take forty-eight hours for the Normandy to reach its next destination, Noveria, so Shepard and Charlie grabbed some food from the mess and holed up in the captain’s cabin. It wasn’t a very large room, furnished with only the basics and a terminal, but it was private. They sat cross-legged on the bed, the food piled up between them.

Charlie tore open one of the energy bars and bit into it, shortly making a face. “I see being a Spectre doesn’t get you better chow.”

“Unfortunately, some things never change,” replied Shepard with a chuckle.

“At least with the military you can count on food,” Charlie said, finishing the bar off. “One time, my squad and I got stuck on a planet for a month with no supplies.”

“What did you do?” Shepard asked, her eyes wide with posthumous concern. “And why didn’t you ever include this in one of your messages?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about Elysium?” Charlie countered, raising an eyebrow. “I had to read about it on the Extranet like everyone else.”

Piper sighed, shaking her head. “Fair enough.”

“Anyway, we mostly ate varren. When you’re hungry, you can eat some crazy shit,” she said off-handedly as she picked through the food. Most of it was freeze-dried. She found what claimed to be an ice cream sandwich and picked it up.

“Those are actually good,” said Piper, “and they don’t melt all over your hand.”

“Hell yeah,” said Charlie and then laughed, and laughed a little more.

Now Piper’s eyebrow was raised. “What’s so funny?” 

Charlie wasn’t laughing anymore, but she still wore a smile. “It’s been eleven fucking years, but it feels like no time has passed at all. Do you know what I mean?”

Piper nodded, looking thoughtful. “You’re my sister, Charlie. Not even time and space can change that.”

“Awww,” cooed Charlie as she playfully pushed Shepard by the shoulder. “You’re such a cornball.”

“Hey, this cornball can throw you off at any time she likes.”

“Yeah, but you won’t cause you _looove_ me.” Charlie grinned cheekily.

For hours, that’s where they sat, munching on food and just talking. Piper described what going through the N7 program was like, what happened on Elysium that got her named a war hero, and the events that led up to her acquisition of the Normandy, including Eden Prime and fighting with the Council.

“That Udina sounds like a dick,” Charlie said, her nose wrinkled up like she smelled something bad, “And he’s representing humanity? We’re doomed.”

Piper laughed. “Udina is a prick, but I think he has humanity’s best interests at heart.”

Charlie stared at her. “Uh-huh, that’s what Cerberus claims too, y’know.”

Piper cocked an eyebrow, looking a bit suspicious. “And what do you know about Cerberus, Charlie?”

Her heart clenched, but she ignored it. “I only worked for Red Tide, but you know how merc groups pass information. They’re worse than gossiping schoolgirls, and Aria on Omega is the Queen Bee.”

“You still haven’t told me why you left,” Piper said carefully, watching her friend for any change in her demeanor. “I thought you and the leader were close?”

The tension spread through her, but she pushed back against the immediate urge to shut down. “Javos, he…well, let’s just say he kept some really important information from me before we did a job, and Cerberus was involved. So, I left. He’s probably tracking me, I know a lot of Red Tide secrets, but I couldn’t be there after that and I can’t tell you more right now because I just…can’t.” By the time she had finished speaking she felt out of breath, her heart beating double-time in her chest.

Piper noticed this and placed her hand on her arm gently. “That’s okay, Charlie,” she said, frowning with worry. “You know my door is always open.”

Charlie smiled slightly, gratefully. “Yeah, thanks.” As her heartbeat slowed to normal she realized she felt a bit better just for having told someone. It couldn’t have been just anyone, either. While Charlie was relatively amicable, the only person she truly trusted had always been Piper Shepard.

Piper always could tell when a change of subject was needed. “I heard Wrex calling you the Barracuda?” she inquired now, lips curling into an amused smile. 

“What? When in the world did you hear that?”

“It’s my ship, I know everything.”

“That’s creepy.” Charlie thought for a moment on how to turn this around, and then smirked a bit. “Then I guess you know about Kaidan’s crush on you?”

“…What?”

Charlie laughed loudly, thoroughly amused by the startled look on Piper’s face. “You haven’t noticed? He practically glows when someone mentions your name. It’s kind of cute.”

Piper shook her head and then held it in her hands. “Oh no, I don’t want that.” She looked up at Charlie. “Are you sure?”

“Not a hundred percent, but I’d say it’s safe to assume it’s at least puppy love.”

“I hope that’s all it is, that will go away in time.”

“What’s wrong, Commander? Can face down the Council but not love?” teased Charlie.

Piper narrowed her eyes at her, “Even _if_ I felt that way about Kaidan I couldn’t act on it, I’m his C.O.!”

“Spoiled sport,” mumbled Charlie. “Has there been anyone else since Arn?”

“Oh god,” Piper groaned, “don’t remind me about _Arn_.”

“Hey, he wasn’t a bad guy…Until he ran off with all of our credits, that is.”

“I guess I should thank him, he’s the reason I joined the Alliance,” she said with a dry laugh. “But honestly, if I ever see him again I’ll probably shoot him.”

“I’ll help,” agreed Charlie.

A couples hours later found the two women surrounded by empty wrappers, laid back on the bed fast asleep. They had eaten their fill and talked until their throats were sore, and then nodded off.

***

It was still a full Earth day from Noveria when a knock at the cabin door woke them. Charlie pretended to still be asleep as Piper rolled off the bed and trudged to the door. It was Liara, but she couldn’t make out what she asked Piper. She had almost fallen back asleep when Shepard shook her by the shoulder.

“Get up, Charlie. We fell asleep.”

“No shit,” Charlie grumbled. She wanted to keep sleeping, she hadn’t realized how tired she had been. “What did Liara want?” she asked groggily as she flung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. Her back popped a few times.

“She has some comm chatter she wants me to hear.” Piper gathered up the empty food wrappers and shoved them into her trash can. “There’s an empty bunk in the crew quarters if you want it.”

“I might as well,” said Charlie. “But I refuse to wear a uniform and follow regs.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” said Piper.

Charlie headed to the crew quarters to scope out her new bunk, but by the time she found it she wasn’t tired anymore, so she headed for the mess. Kaidan was there, fiddling with the coffee maker.

“Oh please tell me you’re making fresh coffee,” said Charlie. “I feel dead on my feet.”

“Welcome to life on a warship,” Kaidan said with a tired chuckle. He had woken up from sleep not too long before her. “I would say you get used to it, but I hate to lie.”

Charlie laughed, pushing herself up by her arms to sit on the countertop beside the coffee. Her legs were cold against the steel, but it was just helping wake her up some more. “I’m not unaccustomed to strange hours; being a merc isn’t exactly a nine-to-five gig.”

“True, but you can walk away from jobs you don’t want, right?” He refilled the water and closed up the appliance, pressing the button to start the brewing. In moments, a thin stream of dark, steaming liquid began to fill the carafe and the aromatic smell of roasted coffee beans saturated the air; Charlie’s caffeine-deprived body luxuriated in it.

“Yeah, sure, if you wanted to get shot,” she said in response. “The fact that I can put my shit in a locker and not really worry about someone stealing it? Freaking awesome. I’ve never had that kind of security before.”

Kaidan leaned against the opposite counter, crossing his arms over his chest. His brow had a slightly sympathetic tilt to it now. “So, why didn’t you join the Alliance with Shepard?”

Charlie shrugged. “Pip’s always seemed like one of those people destined for something great, y’know? I’m just a gutter rat who hates being told what to do. I wouldn’t make it a day in the service.”

“But you must have taken orders as a mercenary,” he said, his tone skeptical.

“Well, yeah, I’ve been following Red Tide’s orders, but the difference between me and Piper, and you, is I was getting my orders from a madman.” She leaned her elbow on her knee, her gaze far away. “And you aren’t expected to stick around to the bitter end. A good freelance leader knows that when the heat is on, the merc is out.”

“It must have been hard going your separate ways,” he said thoughtfully. “You and Shepard, I mean.”

“Yeah, it sucked, but when you grow up on the streets you learn to adapt quickly,” she said. She didn’t like to think about the day she and Piper parted, and the giant argument that had basically caused it. Maybe she would have joined the Alliance, if she hadn’t always been so rash and hard-headed. She had joined Red Tide almost entirely to spite Shepard.

“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?” accused Kaidan, but he chuckled good-naturedly. The carafe was slightly more than half-full and the coffee had slowed to a drip. Kaidan pulled two mugs down from a high cabinet and filled each one. “Do you take anything in your coffee?”

“Nope,” said Charlie and took the steaming mug that he offered. “I learned to take it black because there’s not always time for anything else.”

“I can’t stand it without at least some milk,” Kaidan said with a face. “All we have are these freeze-dried milk cubes that melt in it, though.” He pulled one out of a drawer and showed it to her before dropping it into his coffee. It made a little hissing noise.

“That looks gross, I hate milk anyway. But I did learn today that I love freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches.”

Kaidan laughed. “Everybody loves those. It’s hard to get one usually.”

“Well, if you ever want one, I have a bunch of them stashed away now,” Charlie said with a proud grin.

Kaidan laughed again, and it wasn’t one of his polite chuckles, but a genuine sound of amusement. “I might have to take you up on that.”

Charlie smiled and took a sip of her coffee, and as she did Ashley Williams entered the mess. She ignored Charlie, who was watching her over her mug with a steady gaze, and spoke only to Kaidan as she got a cup and filled it with coffee.

“Hey Alenko, you read the Feros report? Crazy stuff,” she said.

Kaidan could obviously feel the tension between the two women, because his gaze jumped between them for a moment before he replied, “Yeah, I read it. I feel bad for those colonists.” He was clearly uncomfortable but he spoke as normally as possible. 

“That’s what happens when you start tampering with aliens,” Ashley said decisively, as if all her claims were validated by the events surrounding the Thorian.

“Other humans did it, though,” interjected Charlie, not even bothering to try to hold her tongue. “The Thorian was older than our entire race. It was just doing what it evolved to do.”

“And that makes it okay? So if something evolves to kill humans, we shouldn’t stop it because that’s its nature? That’s bullshit,” countered Ashley. “Also, everyone knows not all humans are trustworthy,” she added pointedly. 

Charlie gripped her mug more firmly. “Only those in Alliance uniforms, right?”

“Those are the only ones that should be on this vessel.”

“Didn’t you just come aboard a week ago?” Charlie asked, raising one eyebrow. “What gives you the authority to say who can and cannot be on board?”

“Ash, don’t you think Charlie and the others have gained our trust on Therum and Feros? Not to mention how they helped convince the Council?” Kaidan asked carefully, his voice soft and placating.

“Maybe they’ve duped you, but not me.” She turned and stiffly marched from the mess before anyone could say anything else.

“Sorry about her,” said Kaidan, sighing. “She lost her squad on Eden Prime. That would put anyone on edge.”

“Doesn’t give her the right to treat me and the others like shit,” mumbled Charlie. “Thanks for what you said, though, and you don’t need to apologize for her.”

Kaidan frowned a little bit, nodded. “Hey, how do you feel about getting started on your biotic training?” he asked. “Since you helped take down the Thorian, I assume you feel well enough.” He smirked.

“Why the hell not?” she said. “Gotta follow the doc’s orders.”

The only place with enough space for them to practice was the cargo hold. Ashley Williams wasn’t there, thankfully, but Wrex and Garrus were. The krogan was just leaning against the wall, patiently waiting for something (probably to kill), and the turian was typing into a terminal plugged up to the Mako’s main gun.

“Hey guys,” said Kaidan, getting their attention. “We’re about to do some biotic training if you want to get out of the way.”

“Heh,” grumbled Wrex. “Just try to hit me, Barracuda.” Charlie stuck her tongue out at him.

Garrus, however, quietly picked up his terminal and moved to the other side of the Mako.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Garrus,” Charlie called to him sarcastically.

“No problem,” he sent back and she laughed some.

Spectators taken care of, Kaidan and Charlie moved to the center of the cargo hold. “First, I need to get a sense of your current abilities,” he said. “Up for some sparring?”

“Hell yeah,” said Charlie with an excited grin. She put a fist into her other hand, cracking her knuckles. “No holding back, you hear me?”

Kaidan chuckled, holding up his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it, but let’s not punch any holes in the ship.”

“No promises.” Charlie smirked widely, slowly taking steps back until she and Kaidan had a good bit of distance between them, about two Mako-lengths. “Just give the word.”

But instead of giving her warning, like she expected, Kaidan flung a warp blast at her, weak enough not to kill her but strong enough to send her head over heels backward, landing heavily on her back. All the air was forced from her lungs, and for a second she was stunned. Rolling onto her stomach, she looked up at Kaidan, who was wrestling a look of concern off his face. Wrex was practically giggling.

“Ah, so the toy soldier can play dirty,” she growled with mounting excitement, tucking her leg under to push herself to her feet. As she did, she flung her arms out with a shockwave in his direction.

It caught him off guard like she had hoped, but his reflexes were sharp. In a moment he had produced a barrier and the shockwave dissipated harmlessly. He then followed it up by tossing a throw in her direction, once again knocking her off her feet. 

This continued over the next few hours. Charlie was only able to hit Kaidan a few times compared to his several dozen. When they stopped she felt bruised all over, especially her rear, and she had hit her head more times than she could count. She was rubbing it tenderly as she approached Kaidan.

“So Teach, what’s my grade?”

Kaidan stepped toward her, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his fatigues. “Your biotics are strong, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s all chaotic energy that burns hard and fast,” he explained. “You’ve got to learn to take control and focus it.”

“Is that something you can teach me?” she asked. Being a more skilled biotic could definitely come in handy, so she was quite interested in his feedback. She planned to take full advantage of being trained by an Alliance biotic. 

“I can certainly try, but I’ve never really taught anyone else, so you’ll have to bear with me.” He gave a nervous chuckle and Charlie grinned, holding her fist out to him.

“Deal,” she said, and Kaidan bumped his knuckles against hers.

After expending so much energy, she felt hungry, tired, and she had a headache, so she made her way to the captain’s cabin and knocked on the door. When there wasn’t a reply she opened the door and went inside. Earlier she had hid about a baker’s dozen of freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches in the small space between the wall and Shepard’s bunk. She retrieved two of them now, devouring them in just a couple of minutes.

As she came out of the cabin she ran into Ashley Williams, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Charlie just gave her a cheeky grin and kept moving. Her destination was her new bunk. She grabbed a blanket from the foot locker beside it and stretched out on the cot. It wasn’t as nice as Shepard’s bed, but it was better than what she usually had. It didn’t take long before she was in a deep sleep.

***

When Charlie woke next she was almost instantly alert. Knowing she wouldn’t be going back to sleep any time soon, she sat up, careful not to hit her head on the bottom of the top bunk, and swung her legs over the side. On the other side of the room five crewmen sat around the circular table, holding hands of good old-fashioned playing cards, good old-fashioned Poker chips sitting in the center. With a little smirk, she stood and approached them.

“What’cha doin’, guys?” she asked amicably, standing by the table with her arms crossed. She didn’t invite herself to sit down, that would have been too pushy, and she knew she should really try to endear herself to the crew she had joined.

Five pairs of eyes swiveled to look at her, and then sought their comrades with question. They shrugged at each other and a man with dark hair, black eyes, and olive skin looked up at her with half a smirk.

“Poker. Want me to deal you in?” he asked. His voice was deep and sultry, like silk sliding over skin.

“Hell yeah,” said Charlie and she pulled a chair up, sitting between a man and woman who looked so much alike they could be twins. Charlie looked from one to the other, feeling like she was experiencing a mirror trick. “You two must be related.”

“Brilliant deduction,” groaned the man sarcastically, brown eyes rolling in his head. His hair was also cropped short, but a dark blond. His sister had the same coloring, only her hair was in a long braid she had wrapped in a bun and pinned securely to the back of her head.

“Hi!” she said cheerfully and Charlie looked at her. “I’m Dorothy Clark, and that’s my brother Jason. You’re…Charlie, right?”

Charlie looked slightly surprised, she hadn’t realized her name had gotten around to the crew already, but she shouldn’t have been shocked; she knew the infection rate of scuttlebutt. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Oh, so _you’re_ Shepard’s friend,” said the dark-haired man who had invited her to sit. Something told Charlie he intended quotation marks around the word “friend.”

Dorothy gasped, reaching to smack his arm. He looked at her angrily but she didn’t back down. “Shut up, Thomas! That’s rude!”

“Yeah, man, not cool,” said the other man at the table. His skin was as dark as gunpowder, his eyes piercing blue. He was completely bald and broadly built. The only other person at the table was a more heavyset woman with pale skin, red hair, and green eyes. She was frowning disapprovingly at Thomas.

“We should introduce ourselves,” Dorothy said, intercepting any further discussion on the topic. “The _ass_ is Thomas Hawthorne, he’s in engineering.”

“One of the guys you threw, by the way,” he grumbled. Charlie winked at him.

“Jason and I are in communication operations. That’s Hector Emerson,” she gestured to the giant of a man. “He’s a soldier.”

“No kidding.”

“And that’s Talitha Draven,” Dorothy continued as if Charlie hadn’t spoken. “Also a soldier.” Talitha inclined her head forward politely, but didn’t speak.

“And you all know I’m Charlie,” she said, joining in on the round table discussion. “Badass best friend, and curious about that rumor you’re hiding from me.” She smirked as they all looked at each other uncomfortably, except for Thomas Hawthorne. He had leveled his gaze with hers, and his grin could only be described as sly and amused.

“Speak,” she commanded, tilting her chin up slightly. She could play this game, if that’s what he wanted.

Thomas looked around at each of his Alliance comrades like he was asking who would help him spin this story, but they either averted their gaze or stared straight past him. Only Hector had anything to say: “If you’re going to dig that grave, you can do it alone.”

Engineer Hawthorne scoffed and Charlie expected some name-calling, but instead he leaned on his elbows and met her eyes with a mischievous spark in his eyes and one corner of his mouth crooked up.

“Word round the ship is you’re more than the ‘badass best friend,’ if you know what I’m saying.”

“God, Thomas, do you have to sound so sleazy?” asked Dorothy, her nose wrinkled like a disgruntled rabbit.

Charlie just continued to stare at him, her expression unchanged. One could believe she hadn’t heard him until she replied, smooth and nonchalantly, “Engineer Hawthorne, have you been thinking dirty things about your commander and I?” He obviously didn’t expect that response, he blushed red and Hector began to laugh, a booming sound that reverberated around the small room.

“Finally someone shuts the bastard up!” he roared, heavily patting Thomas against the back. The smaller man jolted forward with each impact.

“I thought we were going to play poker?” Charlie smirked around at everyone, and even Talitha had an amused smile on her face.

***

Later Charlie wandered onto the CIC. She was aimlessly walking the vessel, taking note of anything and everything that caught her eye. She was in a pretty good mood, having won some credits off Jason and Dorothy. Hector, Thomas, and Talitha were shrewd players though, and nothing rivaled Talitha’s poker face—it was flawless. Charlie wasn’t sure if she admired it or was annoyed by it.

As she walked around the edge of the galaxy map she made sure to look at everyone’s face one good time. She would be able to remember them with just that single glance; it was a skill she had honed running with mercenaries, who could all be in different armor. Better to know the face so one doesn’t shoot an ally, but if helmets are on…different story.

When she entered the bridge she found Joker in his usual place, Kaidan in the co-pilot chair, and XO Pressly at a terminal to the left. Shepard was flanking the pilot chair, her arms crossed under her chest as she watched through the window. Charlie stood beside her and mimicked her stance. They cut their eyes to look at each other. 

“Charlie.”

“Piper.”

Joker and Kaidan exchanged bemused expressions.

“Have you heard?” Charlie asked casually. “We’re lesbians.”

Joker sputtered; if he had been drinking anything it would have sprayed his console. Kaidan’s eyes widened and he turned to look at them fully, but they were still watching each other. Officer Pressly was pretending to be oblivious, devoted to his task of typing furiously.

“I believe I did hear that. Isn’t it interesting?” Shepard continued in a polite tone.

Charlie couldn’t take it and started laughing, leaning over to put her hands on her knees. Shepard also began to laugh, and the raucous gaiety had everyone staring at them, even Pressly.

When the laughter subsided, Charlie straightened her back and said, with a regular tone, “I don’t know who started it. I think they’re afraid of getting court-martialed, though, if you hear it.”

“It baffles me that anyone can still think to keep anything secret on a warship of this size.” Shepard gave a dry chuckle. “It’s harmless scuttlebutt. At least they have something new to talk about for awhile.”

Charlie smiled at her but then Joker spoke up.

“Nearing Noveria now, ma’am,” he said, and Charlie was surprised how professional he sounded.

“Take us in,” replied Shepard and then turned to Charlie. “Come on, gear up.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to dedicate some time to Charlie becoming more familiar with the Normandy and her crew, because it’ll play just as big a part in her life as it does for Shepard. I also got a good bit of backstory in here, but there’s much more to come. Keep your eye out for more about Red Tide and Javos and how they’re connected to Cerberus.


	6. Fucking Beaucracy

From the get-go things derailed on Noveria. Before they could leave the spaceport they were approached by what appeared to be law enforcement, demanding their weapons because they weren’t permitted. That eventually led to everyone pointing a gun at someone else, a tense stare down ensuing. But the voice of a woman over the intercom ended it, and they were allowed through with their weapons. Waiting for them beyond the scanners was the woman who got them in, named Gianna Parasini.

Parasini warned them that they had just entered a bureaucratic kill zone, where corporate lawyers warped and twisted Noveria’s laws as easily as a krogan could devour a varren. They were informed not to sign anything, and at least try not to step on any toes. Shepard didn’t make any promises. When Parasini mentioned that an asari matriarch and her commandos had recently come through, they all tensed with alarm.

“Benezia,” gasped Liara, her eyes wide. “It has to be her.”

Shepard turned from Liara back to Parasini, and said with no small amount of authority, “We need transport to Peak 15. _Now._ ”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Commander,” said Parasini regretfully. “Only Administrator Anoleis can issue those, and he’s more interested in money than your investigation. You can try to speak to him, but he’ll probably stonewall you.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” muttered Charlie sarcastically.

Parasini looked them up and down, and then made a note of each enforcement officer nearby. When she spoke again, it was quiet. “I may be able to help you if you assist me with something first. Meet me in the mezzanine if you’re interested. To get there take the far elevator. Good day, Commander Shepard.” She inclined her head politely and walked away, her heels clicking against the linoleum. Shepard, Liara, and Charlie all turned to look at each other.

“Shepard, we _have_ to get to Peak 15, and soon,” said Liara urgently. “The fastest way would be to get a pass straight from Anoleis. He can’t turn down a Council Spectre.”

“Yeah but you heard Parasini, he could just stonewall us and waste our time. Probably delay us with paperwork,” said Charlie. “I say we head straight to find out what Parasini wants.”

Shepard screwed up her nose as she thought, quickly weighing the options. After a moment she said, “Let’s go see what Parasini needs.”

Liara didn’t protest as they moved out, seeking the elevator to take them to the mezzanine. A blizzard with the force of a hurricane was raging outside Port Hanshan—giant windows in the ceiling of the port were darkened, sharp wisps of white streaking rapidly across. Despite the comfortable temperature inside, Charlie shivered. She hoped they wouldn’t be required to go out in that, but her helmet hung from her belt just in case, as did Shepard and Liara’s. Charlie watched the asari as they rode the elevator, looking for signs of distress that might make her a flight risk, such as in the case that it took too long to get to her mother. Though she seemed tense and her eyes far away, she did not seem likely to be insubordinate. With her wide eyes and what looked like freckles (but were dark blue) across her nose, Liara looked every bit the naïve teenager, not over a century old. Would she be able to face her mother, and fight her if necessary? 

The elevator opened to a very short hallway that led to the mezzanine. There were round tables about with a smattering of humans, turians, salarians, and asari sitting and eating lunch, having coffee, reading, or just chatting quietly. In the center was a simple display of greenery surrounded on four sides by a bench. Directly behind this was a raised section of floor with more tables. The back wall featured an impressive waterfall trapped in glass, and more large windows showcased the storm. The design was utilitarian, meant to serve above being aesthetically pleasing. 

Gianna Parasini sat at one of the tables on the raised floor, a cup of steaming coffee sitting in front of her. She focused all her attention on the datapad she held, but as they approached she set it down and stood.

“Commander Shepard, thank you for coming to speak with me,” she said as she shook hands with her. “Please have a seat.”

Both women sat, and Charlie and Liara flanked Shepard, crossing their arms over their chests. Charlie almost laughed because they did it simultaneously.

“So what is it you need?” asked Shepard, resting her fists on the table. 

“I don’t know how much you know about Noveria, Commander,” Parasini began. “The Executive Board calls the shots here, to keep litigation to a minimum. Administrator Anoleis works for them, overseeing all of Port Hanshan.”

“I’m assuming you’re his secretary?”

Parasini tilted her head slightly from side to side, seeming to consider her words before speaking. “That is…just my cover. I really work for the Executive Board, in Internal Affairs.”

Shepard nodded, everything clicking into place. “So you’re a corporate spy investigating Anoleis and you need me to help you do that, am I right?” She didn’t wait for an answer before pushing on. “What are you trying to bring him in for?”

“For extortion,” said Parasini. She glanced around discreetly before speaking again. “Anoleis has been taking bribes to take over lab rents, which puts even more money in his pocket. Noveria’s most important asset is the reputation that the Executive Board can protect its clients’ assets; Anoleis jeopardizes that reputation.” 

“You’re his secretary, don’t you have access to his files? Run him in,” said Shepard in a bored tone. Charlie grinned a little, it was good to know bureaucracy still irked Piper, too.

“Yes, but unfortunately they would be inadmissible because it would be theft. I need someone to bring forth information _and_ testify.”

“Obviously I don’t have that kind of information, so I assume you have someone in mind?” prompted Shepard.

“Indeed, Commander,” replied Parasini with a nod. “His name is Lorik Qui’in, a turian who works for synthetic Insights, one of the companies Anoleis has swindled. Talk to him, convince him to testify.” She looked over her shoulder, across the mezzanine where a lone turian sat, his dark face streaked by blunt white lines. He was brooding over his drink; it was probably safe to assume it wasn’t coffee.

Shepard followed her gaze, calmly examining the turian. To Parasini she said, “What he needs done must not be strictly legal, then?” When the Internal Affairs agent stiffened the commander smirked. “Don’t get your panties in a twist,” she chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Parasini relaxed, but not entirely. Her voice was a little rigid when she said, “Thank you, Commander. When you have a development, meet me in my office. It’s on the same floor as the spaceport elevator and garage access.”

When she was gone, Charlie and Liara moved around the table to sit down, and the three women put their heads together.

“What do you guys think of Parasini and her request?” asked Shepard, looking to each in turn.

“Do you really want to get involved with this planet’s bureaucratic nonsense?” Charlie asked dubiously.

“I don’t see that we have any choice at this point,” interjected Liara. “We must get to Peak 15.”

Shepard was silent for a moment and then sighed. “Every minute Saren gets further ahead.” She looked at Charlie. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like.”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Don’t patronize me.”

“You should approach Lorik alone, Shepard,” suggested Liara. “He will probably be more comfortable one-on-one, as most turians are.”

“Right,” said Shepard, placing her palms against the table and pushing herself to her feet. “Wait here. Keep your eyes peeled.” She walked away, nonchalantly approaching Lorik Qui’in. Liara and Charlie watched as they exchanged a few words and then shook hands, Shepard sitting across from him. Her back was to them, and Charlie definitely couldn’t read turian lips, so she waited impatiently, fidgeting. 

“How are you, Charlie?” asked Liara, her eyes still resting on Shepard.

Charlie turned her head slightly to look at her, cocking one eyebrow. “I’m…fine?”

“I meant after the incident on Therum,” Liara clarified. “I never did ask how you were feeling.”

Charlie recalled Dr. Chakwas telling her that Dr. T’Soni had inquired about her well-being. “I’m here, so I’m good, aren’t I?” she responded, her tone dry but not unkind.

Liara chuckled, looking at her now. “I suppose that’s true.”

They lapsed into silence. Charlie leaned back in her chair, draping her arms over the back. She slumped, even if it was awkward to do so in armor with weaponry.

Fifteen or twenty minutes passed before Shepard returned to them, looking less than thrilled but at least not angry.

“So, will he play ball?” Charlie asked.

“First, we have to get the information,” said Shepard. “Come on, let’s get away from the crowd.”

The team moved out of the mezzanine into an empty hallway. Ads hung on the wall, boasting various corporations like Binary Helix and Synthetic Insights. A Galactic News terminal sat nearby, repeating a report on Feros. 

“So, what? Where is this information and how do we get it?” asked Charlie.

“It’s in Lorik Qui’in’s office inside Synthetic Insights,” Shepard explained. “But apparently Anoleis has been having the place raided, kicked him out.”

“It would be best for only one person with hacking abilities to go in,” suggested Liara, looking from Charlie to Shepard.

“True,” agreed Shepard, frowning. “Unfortunately that isn’t me.” She looked at Charlie, the gears turning in her head. “How are your tech skills these days?”

“Surely better than yours,” Charlie responded with an impish smile.

“I might be able to upload the building’s blue prints…” Liara muttered as she brought up her omni-tool and started typing furiously.

It took less than an hour to study the building plans and formulate tactics, and then they were on their way to the corporate offices of Synthetic Insights. Shepard and Liara took up positions outside and Charlie crept up to the entrance, crouching low in the shadows. Once to the door she kneeled to the left, and then sat up to remove the panels. She cut a couple of wires and the doors slid open with a quiet hiss, the alarm remaining silent. With a quick glance over her shoulder at Shepard and Liara, she ducked into the doorway and it closed behind her.

“If anything goes wrong we’ll be in there in a heartbeat,” Shepard’s voice said over the tiny comm in Charlie’s ear.

“Good to know,” she murmured and moved forward deliberately.

The building was mostly dark, and quiet. A couple of lights were on in the hallways, but there were plenty of dark corners for Charlie to melt into. The silence was eerie, putting her on edge. With every step she expected to trigger some kind of alarm or automated defense, and the longer nothing happened the more anxious she felt, her blood racing in her veins. She loved the thrill of it.

Finding Lorik Qui’in’s office didn’t take long, and hacking the lock took even less time. She sat at his desk and booted up the private terminal and her omni-tool.

While she waited for the data to upload, she looked around the room. Like all of the buildings it was made of cold stone and concrete, and the lack of personal items just made the room feel chillier. She wondered if the offices had always been so barren or if the raids forced him to remove personal belongings.

A little ding indicated that the data was uploaded successfully. Charlie retracted her Omni-tool and pressed her fingers to the comm in her ear. “Shepard, I’ve got it. Coming out.” Shepard acknowledged and she made her way out of Qui’in’s office. As she crossed the walkway over the lobby, her nerves began to tingle and goosebumps dotted her arms. Something didn’t feel right, and the building wasn’t as quiet as it had been before. She couldn’t be certain, but she could have sworn she could now hear the slightest sound—breathing. 

Slowing, she retrieved her heavy pistol from its holster and raised it. Her eyes darted around, trying to catch even just a flicker of movement. She moved toward the elevator doors and cut right to flatten her back against the stone partition and waited, listening carefully.

Silence pressed in like water in a tank, stretching on for long minutes. Then she heard the soft sound of a boot sliding on tile, and she knew she wasn’t alone. Now she had three choices: Alert Shepard and lose the element of surprise, try to take them by surprise and hope Shepard overheard, or wait until whoever it was made the first move.

But Charlie was impatient, and the raging storm outside was only getting worse; the longer they remained at Port Hanshan the more likely they couldn’t make it to Peak 15. She deliberately inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, then whirled around the wall and aimed in the vicinity of the person leaning against the other side.

It was a woman in black armor with short blonde hair. She was one of the women who had stopped them upon arrival and demanded their weapons.

“What the f—” Charlie began but the woman snarled and pistol-whipped her across the face. The gun struck her temple and caused her to stumble a few steps. Her vision swam before her eyes, pain pulsed inside her skull, Piper was shouting in her ear, and she could feel the pinching begin…

Panic began to set in as Charlie realized she was losing control. Her muscles tightened, the building biotic energy messing with her nerves, and she clenched her teeth. Her vision was red around the edges, quickly fading in and out of complete black, and then suddenly she could see Kaidan’s face in the back of her mind, hear him tell her she needed to concentrate. 

With a colossal effort and terrible scream, she pushed at the energy with all her might. She concentrated on her hands, visualizing the mass effect field even as it began to formulate before her. At first it resembled a chaotically unstable singularity, and then it blew outward in all directions with a warping pop. The blonde woman and her flunkies were shoved backward so hard they came off their feet. Charlie fell onto her knees, closing her eyes tightly but still holding her hands out. Covering her was a translucent blue dome, shimmering and flickering wildly. Everything near her had been forced back by the barrier, leaving Charlie completely in the open but protected, for at least as long as she kept consciousness. 

The sound of gunfire seemed impossibly far away, like she was hearing it through water. Opening her eyes, they widened to see the barrier surrounding her and she shot to her feet, lowering her arms. Immediately the barrier flickered and disappeared. 

The woman and her two guards were dead, and Shepard was rushing toward her. She felt her knees give way again. The commander caught her and held her up on her feet, shouting, “Charlie!”

Charlie's vision was blurry and a headache pounded away inside her head, but she managed to hold on to consciousness as Shepard and Liara half-carried and half-walked her out of Synthetic Insights. They collapsed on a bench outside, lucky that the corridor remained as empty as earlier. Charlie leaned back, laying her head against the cold wall and closing her eyes. She took deep breaths, releasing them slowly, for the next few minutes. Soon, her heartbeat calmed and the fog in her mind began to dissipate. When she opened her eyes, she was met with the two worried faces of Piper and Liara.

“You realize just staring like that doesn’t help, right?” she muttered, surprised to find her throat sore.

Liara looked embarrassed and she sat back but Piper smirked, patting her shoulder heavily. “Good job, you kept consciousness this time!”

Charlie flipped her off but she was smiling slightly. She sat up carefully, rolling her shoulders and stretching her back. She was feeling drained, but not depleted, and being conscious after a biotic episode was an improvement, even if she didn’t want to say so to Piper. Instead she said, “I got Qui’in’s data.”

“I can take it to him while Liara takes you back to the Normandy,” said Shepard, bringing up her omni-tool to receive the information. 

But Charlie paused in sending it, staring at Shepard. “Why would I go back to the ship? I feel fine.”

Piper looked skeptical. “You expect me to believe that after what I just saw?”

“Yes,” Charlie replied sharply, her eyebrows knit together in frustration, “because I expect you to trust me to know my limits.”

Piper could have brought up any number of examples on why that wasn’t true, but instead she sighed. “Fine, but we’re going to need back-up to confront Benezia anyway. So while I deal with getting the garage pass, the two of you go fetch Kaidan. And while you’re there get cleared by Chakwas. If she doesn’t think you should be in combat, then you stay on the ship. You hear me?”

Charlie rolled her eyes but she didn’t argue. “Yes, mother.” She hit a few keys on her omni-tool and Lorik Qui’in’s information transferred to Shepard instantly.

They traveled back to the mezzanine together then went their separate ways, Shepard to meet with Qui’in, and Charlie and Liara to the elevator.

As they were nearing the elevator that took them up to the spaceport, their path was intercepted by a hanar. “This one requests your attention,” it said in the calm, implacable way in which the aliens always spoke. Charlie and Liara exchanged glances. 

“Can we help you?” Liara asked politely, looking up at the amorphous pink creature. Charlie crossed her arms over her chest.

“This one is aware that firearm protocols do not apply to these ones,” the hanar began. They spoke slowly and monotonously, making Charlie restless.

“This one has a proposition,” it continued. “Would these be willing to earn credits and a sizable discount at this one’s shop?”

Charlie and Liara looked around at the empty space and then at each other again. “Erm…what shop?”

“That is what this one needs. This one cannot bring inventory through because of the strict regulations, but those with special access can.”

Charlie’s smirk started as a little thing, barely tugging at her lips as she tried to hold it back. She turned to look slyly at Liara. “Let’s do it.”

Liara sputtered, looking at her in surprise. “W-what? That’s smuggling!”

Charlie laughed. “Nah, Liara. It’s enabling capitalism.”

“That doesn’t sound any better.”

“We’ll do it,” Charlie said to the hanar, completely ignoring Liara’s comment.

“This one will be waiting,” said the alien, and he slowly moved away. He hovered around the news terminal and pretended to be listening.

Charlie and Liara continued through the space station and security. When they stood in the Normandy’s pressurization chamber, Liara rounded on the other woman.

“ _What_ was that?”

Charlie tilted her head back to look at her, cocking one eyebrow as though confused. “What was what?”

Liara looked incredulous. “You must be joking. Why did you agree to smuggle goods for that hanar? If we get caught it’ll mean a lot of trouble for Shepard.”

“That’s why we won’t get caught.”

Liara looked baffled. “But why do it at all?”

Charlie sighed, obviously done playing around. “I’ve learned it’s good to procure favors, especially easy ones. You never know when you’ll need to call it in,” she explained with seriousness. “Besides, we’re with a Spectre. Who’s gonna fuck with us?”

Liara buried her face in her hands as the door to the ship slid open. “I can’t believe I can actually see the wisdom in that.”

Charlie laughed as she walked past her into the ship. “Welcome to the real world, Doctor.”

Liara escorted Charlie to the med bay per Shepard’s request and to Charlie’s aggravation, and then left to find Kaidan. The three would rendezvous just outside the Normandy’s bay. Charlie was the last to show; she had an errand to complete first.

The package was exactly where the hanar said it would be. It was in a simple satchel to hang on one’s back, completely unmarked. Charlie pulled out an Alliance decal she swiped from Chakwas’s desk and slapped it onto the bag before lifting it onto her shoulders. Liara made a face when she saw it, but she didn’t say anything. 

As they traveled back through the security and spaceport, the ladies got Kaidan caught up on the situation. Liara had just finished explaining the incident at Synthetic Insights when the hanar from before eagerly approached them.

“This one can see you carry the package!” it exclaimed, glowing brightly from somewhere inside its gelatinous body. “This one is in your debt!”

“That’s what I was counting on,” said Charlie with a smirk as she handed over the goods.

“Wait,” Kaidan said as Charlie joined him and Liara again. “What just happened?”

“Smuggling,” replied Liara exasperatedly. “Smuggling just happened.”

“Oh, hush it, asari,” Charlie ragged. “That thing barely weighed a stone. He’s only selling small firearms and ammunition, I’m sure.”

“How exactly did you get yourself into that?” Kaidan asked, raising an eyebrow. They had reached the elevator to take them up to the mezzanine. Liara pressed the button to summon it and they waited.

“He literally jumped in front of us and asked.” Charlie explained with a laugh. “Well, he didn’t jump, more like glided.”

Kaidan smirked a little. “I guess it isn’t just Shepard who has a knack for finding trouble.”

“Hey, there wasn’t any trouble.”

Liara sighed, shaking her head and gazing upward as if seeking spiritual guidance. Kaidan laughed. “Whatever you say.”

The elevator dinged so they turned to face it. The doors slid open to reveal Shepard on the other side, looking pretty pleased with herself.

“Shepard!” Liara exclaimed with mild surprise. “How did it go with Lorik?” she asked as the commander exited the lift and the group scuttled to the side to be out of the way.

“Judging by that expression, you either got him to testify, fucked him, or both,” said Charlie casually.

Shepard blanched, and sputtered, “C-Charlie!”

The redhead shrugged, a tiny smirk pulling at her lips. “What?”

Shepard glared at Charlie whilst speaking to everyone, “I appealed to his better nature to convince him to testify. Come on, let’s go tell Parasini.”

Anoleis’s office was on the floor they were already on, but on the opposite side of the building. They could see Parasini at her secretary’s desk through the curved glass door before they entered. The office was large but sparse, with a giant stone partition behind the desk. A few potted plants sat forgotten in the corners.

Parasini looked up as they entered. When she noticed who it was she stood immediately, placing her hands on her desk. “Commander Shepard,” she said by way of greeting. “I trust you have news for me?”

Shepard nodded to Charlie, who took out the datapad containing the evidence and tossed it onto the desk. “Lorik Qui’in has agreed to testify, as well,” the commander said. “You owe us a garage pass.”

“I owe you a beer!” Parasini snatched up the datapad immediately, already beginning to shift through the information. When Shepard spoke again, she froze, frowning up at them. “I won’t be able to supply the pass until Anoleis is charged, I’m afraid. That could take several days.”

“Several days?” blurted Liara in surprise. “My mother could leave the entire system by then!”

Shepard held up a hand to halt Liara’s frantic tirade, and the asari frowned, but didn’t say any more. “I figured as much,” she said to Parasini. “Good luck with your case.”

“Have I missed something?” Charlie asked once they were outside the offices. She moved to stand in front of Shepard. “I thought the deal was we got the turian to confess so we get a pass. What gives?”

“You heard her,” said Shepard. “Besides,” she added as she pulled up her Omni-tool. “Qui’in gave us his pass.” Holographically displayed was, indeed, a valid pass to allow the holder access to the garage.

“And that’ll get access for all four of us?” asked Kaidan.

“It’s supposed to; only one way to find out.”

They got into the garage without a hitch. The turian that guarded the entrance confirmed that an asari matriarch and her commandos had been through already, and he warned that if they were going to Peak 15 to be careful—not only had the storm worsened, but there were reports of strange activity in the Aleutsk Valley.

“So how exactly are we getting there?” Charlie asked as they moved into the garage. It was a huge area, lined with all sorts of vehicles, but the one that caught her eye was the one Shepard currently approached—the Mako. 

“How did that get here?” Charlie exclaimed, more than a little excited to see the tank.

“When Qui’in gave me his pass I arranged for Joker to drop it off,” Shepard responded. She then smirked. “You still don’t get to drive it.”

The bullet clipped the hull of the Mako before they heard it fire, but that’s all it took. Shepard shouted for everyone to take cover as geth came forward from their hiding places in the garage. Charlie watched a treefrog-like one, like the one from Therum, attached itself to the ceiling above her head. Immediately taking aim, she fired up at the geth stalker. She hit it in the shoulder, causing it to fall. Halfway down a biotic throw slammed into it, smashing it into a shock trooper.

Liara and Kaidan took up flanking positions, covering Charlie and Shepard with bullets and biotics alike as they popped in and out of protection. Well-timed shots from Shepard’s hand cannon and Charlie’s chaotic assault rifle barrages made short work of the remaining shock troopers, but as the smoke cleared a rocket trooper stepped forward aiming directly for the tower of boxes Charlie and Shepard took cover behind.

“Watch out!” shouted Kaidan, just before laying down fire on the trooper. He succeeded in killing it, but not before it managed to discharge a rocket. Shepard jumped to her feet, holding out her hand and generating a barrier mere moments before the missile hit its target. It detonated on impact, showering the immediate area with shrapnel. 

“Shepard! Charlie!”

Charlie opened her eyes and all she could see was dust, but it was settling. There was a ringing in her ears that blanketed all other sound. It cleared as she rolled onto her stomach, groaning with the effort. She pushed herself onto her knees and leaned back. For a moment she was disoriented and then Liara was in front of her.

“Charlie, are you all right?” she asked breathlessly, offering her hand.

Charlie took it and allowed the asari to pull her to her feet, but she was looking around for Shepard. She was a few yards away, being helped to her feet by Kaidan.

“What the hell are geth doing here?” she asked as the group reformed.

“Someone doesn’t want to be followed,” Shepard theorized, glancing at Liara.

“But why? What is she doing?” lamented Liara, her brow wrinkled.

“The best way to find out is to keep going.” Kaidan reinforced his words by moving toward the Mako. “I assume you’ll be driving, Commander?”

Shepard smirked, cracking her knuckles. “Okay. Everybody load up!”

The snow covered path that twisted through the mountains toward Peak 15 had colossal cliffs on the right, and a deadly sharp fall on the left. The Mako slid over patches of ice, occasionally coming close to driving over the ledge. They met geth along the way, but Shepard just plowed through them, Charlie joining in her laughter.

As they drew closer to the base, turrets mounted in the cliffside targeted the Mako and began a steady launch of missiles.

“Liara, get on the cannon!” Shepard ordered over her shoulder.

When there wasn’t immediate movement beside her, Charlie turned to see Liara gripping the seat tightly, eyes wide and unfocused. 

“Liara!” Shepard shouted again, navigating the Mako sharply out of the path of a missile.

Charlie didn’t hesitate: She pushed Liara to the side and took control of the large cannon. It only took a quick moment for her to study and understand how it worked and then she was taking aim and blowing the turret off the mountain in a blast of fire and metal. 

In the calm of the aftermath Charlie turned to Liara, studying her for a moment before speaking. “You can’t freeze up like that, Blue.”

The rest of the trip up the mountain was completed in tense silence.

* * *


	7. Mother, Mother

Inside Peak 15 was eerily quiet after the raging cacophony of the blizzard buffeting against the Mako. It was so quiet that Shepard heard the rocket whizzing toward them before they saw it, giving them a tight window to roll out of the blast radius. Two geth prime, flanked by troopers, moved out of the shadows of the cargo room, clicking mechanical orders to their soldiers.

“I’ll keep the primes distracted,” Shepard said quickly. “The three of you pick off the troopers. Charlie, cover me.”

There was only time for a quick nod. Piper charged out of cover, headed straight for the nearest prime. It lowered the cannon mounted over its right shoulder and a blast began to gather in the barrel. The commander dove to the left as it fired, temporarily filling the room with bright light.

“Stay in cover, pick your targets, aim to kill,” Charlie said to Liara. She was starting to get that look in her eye, like a rabbit that had run out into traffic. “Focus, Liara, and it’ll be fine.”

“Focus,” Liara nodded. “Yes, I will not let fear overcome me again.”

“Glad to hear it,” Charlie replied hesitantly but left the asari alone behind several stacks of crates. She hoped she wouldn’t return to find her dead back there. 

There was a ladder leading to the scaffolding along the roof of the garage to her right, so she made for it. As she stepped up on the bottom rung shots rang out, bullets ricocheting off the walls near her. She dropped down, pushing her back against the adjacent wall, which had a steel lip that provided just enough cover for Charlie. She peered around it quickly, spotting two geth shock troopers converging on her location. She readied her blaster rifle and rolled out of cover, firing two shots that found their marks, and then jumped onto the ladder. She pulled herself up by her arms more than she pushed with her legs, and she made it to the top just as the geth regrouped and fired on her again.

From this vantage point Charlie could take stock of the fight. Liara was still crouched behind crates, and several geth bodies nearby attested that she was holding her own. Shepard had taken down one of the primes and had the second on its heels. At first, she couldn’t find Kaidan amongst the chaos, and her heart began to beat painfully hard, but then she saw him.

He was surrounded by geth shock and rocket troopers, a waning biotic shield the only thing between him and death by explosion.

Charlie didn’t waste time. She ran along the scaffolding until she reached a better view point, pulling her rifle forward and ensuring it was ready to be fired.

Crouching down, she took careful aim and, one by one, began taking out the geth surrounding Kaidan. When he was not so outnumbered he wiped out the rest and dared to look up. For a brief moment his eyes met Charlie’s, and she smiled. He smiled back, and together they focused on the last of the troopers.

When the last geth had fallen, everyone met in the center of the garage, carnage strewn around them.

“That was a lot of geth,” Charlie said, “I bet that means Benezia is here.”

“We must not forget she will have commandos with her,” warned Liara. “She is also a powerful biotic.”

“So basically this is going to be a clusterfuck of biotics?” Charlie paused, and then a grin broke out on her face. “Awesome.”

“If everyone is done stating the obvious,” interjected Commander Shepard, “We need to move on in case more geth are on the way.”

No one could argue with that, so they regrouped and journeyed deeper into Peak 15. Other than the near-silent sounds of power and life-support systems, the base was quiet and seemingly deserted.

They made their way through short hallways and entered a waiting room with a view of a rock wall. Charlie couldn’t quite understand having windows on a base that was literally inside of a mountain. Up a short flight of stairs were a couple of conference rooms and an office. As the group made their way through they checked each room for enemies or clues to Benezia’s location or purpose, but all they found was some Medi-gel, until they opened the door to the last conference room before the elevator.

As the door slid open with a hiss, the vent grate popped out of the floor, being pushed aside by the twisting tendrils of some creature. It climbed from the ventilation, screeching. It spit at them, a glob of neon green that sizzled when it hit the wall. It looked like a giant bug. 

“KILL IT!” Charlie shouted as she opened fire. Her bullets ripped through the creature, splattering green ichor around the room. A second creature emerged and Shepard, Kaidan, and Liara shot it down.

“What the fuck was that?!” Charlie shouted, turning to look at them with bewilderment on her face. Her heart was hammering at hyperspeed inside her chest.

“They…they appeared to be _rachni_ ,” Liara said in disbelief. “But that can’t be!”

“I thought the rachni were wiped out by the krogan?” Kaidan questioned, looking at the scientist.

“Apparently history was wrong,” mused Shepard, standing over the carcass of a rachni to study it.

Charlie was making sure to keep her distance from the aliens. “They’re giant BUGS!”

Shepard laughed amusedly. “They’re only slightly bigger than the Keepers. Come see!”

“Fuck off, Piper.” Charlie flipped her friend the bird.

“If there are more rachni here, even a queen, it could be what my mother is after,” Liara surmised, her brow knitting up in concern. 

“Why would Saren want rachni?” Piper asked. She kicked the corpses back into the vent and, with Charlie’s assistance, replaced the grate, just in case there were more. 

“The rachni were said to have remarkable mind control abilities,” explained Liara.

Piper’s face immediately pinched with anger. “Then that’s exactly why Benezia is here. Come on, we need to find her—now.”

The elevator led them to a hub where Peak 15’s virtual intelligence core was housed. There were two exits, one marked for the trams and the other for the roof. Charlie could hear the screeching and scuffling of more rachni in the vents and it made her skin crawl.

“If there was a way to flood these vents with fire I wouldn’t hesitate to do it,” she muttered, mostly to herself because the rest of the group was studying the VI terminal.

“Anyone have more omni-gel? I don’t feel like wasting time solving this puzzle,” Piper said. The VI core was deactivated, but to reverse the process they had to solve a complex puzzle using blocks. Charlie wondered why the VI for a high-budget science lab would have such a childish lock, but a screech echoing from the vent behind her head drew her thoughts away.

“Wait a moment, Shepard,” interrupted Liara. “Could I try that puzzle?”

Shepard stepped back and held her hand out toward the console, as though to say, “Be my guest.”

Liara studied the puzzle for some time before she moved any of the blocks. Charlie was getting impatient and about to say something when she touched the screen and began dragging and sliding blocks as though she had been the one who programmed the puzzle in the first place. The rows of squares turned green and the VI powered up, lights blinking to life as a purple holographic woman appeared before them.

“Hello, I am Mira, Peak 15’s virtual intelligence system. Warning. Life support systems are failing. Warning. All trams are malfunctioning. Warning.” Mira repeated her warnings again, accompanied with flashing lights in all the rooms and corridors.

“Great,” Piper groaned. “Now we have to get this station running before we can do anything else.” She turned to face the group and looked at each of them in turn. “Where should we begin?”

“The life support systems seem wise,” Kaidan replied evenly. 

There was a brief silence in which everyone considered the wisdom of his words and then Shepard gave the signal to move out. They left the VI terminal behind, Mira still repeating her warning—“Warning. Life support systems failing. Warning. All trams are malfunctioning. Warning.” 

***

The tram ride to Rift Station was quiet and tense. Piper stood toward the front of the car, armed but at ease. She silently watched as the tracks raced beneath them. Charlie watched her from several feet away, where she stood next to Liara and Kaidan. The asari was focused on her clasped hands, lost in thought.

It was suddenly apparent to Charlie how much of a soldier Piper had become, but she wasn’t just some jarhead—she was a real leader, and she always had been; she was truly “the Shepard.”

Charlie moved forward to stand next to Shepard, mimicking her stance. Piper looked over at her and nodded. Charlie nodded back.

The tram slowed to a stop inside Rift Station. They disembarked cautiously, weapons at the ready. The loading area was deserted and quiet. It looked much like the rest of Peak 15 but power hadn’t been lost in this part of the station. Several of the doors were locked, leading them to an elevator that went deeper into the station. Another door later and they found themselves face-to-face with a handful of security personnel masquerading as a militia.

Their leader, a middle-aged man with dark skin and no hair, raised a hand. “Hold!” he shouted. “At ease.” The soldiers immediately lowered their weapons and stood straighter.

Shepard strolled forward confidently, not yet sheathing her weapon but holding it in front of her. “I’m Commander Shepard. We’re looking for a Matriarch and her commandos.”

“You get…straight to the point. I’m Ventralis, captain of Peak 15’s security,” the man said. “I have to say I’m surprised to see Alliance here.”

“I’m actually here on Spectre business.”

“Spectre? Stars, how long have we been trapped here?” Ventralis looked as though he felt a bit faint. “Your asari came through here not too long ago. We’ve been fighting off the rachni for days.”

“What is up with the bugs anyway?” Charlie asked brusquely.

“Our scientists are up that elevator in the Hot Labs, they can tell you. We haven’t heard from them in some time though.” He frowned. “We heard those critters making a racket up there yesterday but I can’t spare a man to go check it out.”

Suddenly there was a loud screech and then several bangs as the grates to the vents were thrown aside. “RACHNI!” yelled Captain Ventralis, and everyone leapt to action. 

“AUGH!” shouted Charlie, whipping around to fire upon the rachni pouring into the room. They screeched and exploded, sending green pus in all directions, steaming and smelling sourer than rotten eggs. The stench burned their noses and stung their eyes but they continued to fight until each one was a pile of goop and carapace on the floor.

“Thanks for your help, Commander,” said Captain Ventralis breathlessly. “We’ve got it from here if you want to go on up to the Hot Labs. Here’s my passcode to open the door. Good luck.” He handed a key-card to Shepard.

“I can’t wait until we’re done with these fucking bugs,” Charlie muttered as they piled back into the elevator.

“We need to talk to the scientists and find out what happened,” Kaidan said. “How are Benezia and the rachni related?”

“It has to be Saren,” Liara replied, “But _why_ is she following him?”

“Remember what Shiala said?” Piper said helpfully. “Saren is manipulating her somehow.”

“Or she's letting her commandos think that so she can pretend to have no responsibility for what's happening.” Charlie suggested with a shrug.

Liara looked shocked. “That can’t be true!”

Charlie lifted an eyebrow. “How sure are you about that?”

Liara opened her mouth to respond but in the same moment the elevator door opened. A large, empty room stretched out before them. Sitting in a chair not too far from where they stood was a man in a lab coat, slumped over so far he was in danger of falling into the floor.

“What happened here?” Piper asked the man, moving forward and helping him to sit up straighter in his chair.

“Who…are you?” he responded weakly, struggling to look up at them. It was clear that there was something wrong with him.

“I’m Commander Shepard with the Alliance military,” Piper said. “Are you one of the scientists?”

“Yes. My name is Yaroslev Tartakovsky. I work…worked for Binary Helix.”

“Where did you guys find fucking _rachni_?” Charlie demanded. Piper shot her a stern glance.

Yaroslev Tartakovsky was unfazed. “We found an egg aboard a derelict rachni ship. We did not know we would hatch a queen.”

“What is the importance of the queen?” questioned Piper.

“She lays the eggs and controls her children. But Binary Helix wanted an army we could control. So they took the children from the queen.” He paused to heave and catch his breath. “But without their mother, the rachni became violent and unpredictable. They attacked.”

“You take them away from their mom and wonder why they rebel? Fucking idiot.”

“Charlie!” snapped Piper.

“No, it is deserved,” Tartakovsky said in a resigned tone. “I was on my way to activate the neutron purge when fatigue overcame me. Perhaps you could finish the job?”

“If we activate the purge you’ll be caught in it in here,” said Kaidan to Tartakovsky. “Let us help you out first.”

Tartakovsky shook his head. “No. Please, take the code.” He held a small datapad out to Shepard, who took it uncertainly. 

“Killing yourself won’t fix the problem,” Charlie growled. “What good is a corpse?”

Tartakovsky heaved and whizzed for several moments before replying, “My life is at an end.”

Charlie scoffed and turned away from him. “C’mon, Piper. You heard what he wants you to do.”

Piper looked at Tartakovsky carefully, studying him. “Are you sure?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, Commander.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “The purge will be a quick, easy death.” He spoke to no one in particular.

Charlie was already at the door to the control room when Piper approached with Kaidan and Liara in tow. She frowned at her.

“Sensitivity training wasn’t a big thing in Red Tide, huh?”

Charlie glared. “It wasn’t a thing at all.”

“Could we get this over with? The whole business of it makes me queasy,” Liara said, her brow knit together and a hand resting against her stomach.

The screeching came from all sides moments before the various vents around the room flew off their hinges to allow rachni through. Dozens of soldiers poured into the room, one seizing upon Tartakovsky. He screamed as the rachni drove its claw through his chest.

“Move!” shouted Shepard, turning to face the soldiers with an assault rifle. She, Kaidan, and Liara fired on the rachni while Charlie got the door open.

“Piper, throw me the code!”

Shepard tossed the datapad in Charlie’s general direction. She caught it and rushed to the terminal.

The datapad also doubled as identification to unlock the terminal. Charlie worked quickly, attempting to block out the barking gunfire and screaming rachni.

“Neutron purge, activated,” said the VI over the loudspeaker. “Purge will commence in sixty seconds. 59…58…57…”

“Aw shit!” Charlie pocketed the datapad and rushed from the room. “We have ONE MINUTE to get out of here. MOVE!” she shouted at the others and barreled through the rachni soldiers like a charging krogan. Shepard, Kaidan, and Liara followed the glint of silver and blue armor, moving upstream against the rachni. The door slammed shut behind them just as the countdown reached zero. For an awful minute afterward they listened to the dying screams of the rachni children, but they were safe.

***

The further they pushed through Rift Station, the quieter it became. Their footsteps echoed dully against the metal walls of the hallway. The air was heavy and thick with anticipation. 

“Are we going the right way?” Kaidan asked.

“I’d say it’s about time for the boss fight,” Charlie snarked. She glanced over her shoulder. “Are you going to be able to fight your mother, Blue?”

Liara narrowed her eyes and set her shoulders. “If she’s truly aligned with Saren, then she is no longer my mother.”

“Bold words,” commented Piper. “I prefer bold action.”

They reached a door that wasn’t particularly special, but they found their target waiting for them on the other side.

Backed by an asari commando squad, Benezia stood at the top of a flight of stairs, dressed in black with her hands clasped calmly in front of her. Her eyes were dark and cold as she studied them, even as they fell on Liara.

“Liara, my daughter…Have you come to stop me?” While her tone was amused her expression never changed, like she was etched from stone.

“Mother, what are you doing?” cried Liara. “Why are you allied with Saren and the geth?”

Benezia shook her head as if in disbelief. “Ignorant girl! You and your friends can’t begin to understand what is truly happening. The Council is concerned about the geth, but this galaxy is about to have a much larger problem.”

Piper stepped forward, halfway shielding Liara from the matriarch. “Then enlighten us.”

Benezia began to laugh, coldly.

“Of course she laughs like every supervillain in every vid ever,” muttered Charlie.

“Probably not the best time,” whispered Kaidan, but when Charlie glanced at him the corner of his mouth was turned up in a smile. She smirked.

“You do not know the privilege of being a mother, Liara. There is power in creation, to shape a life, turn it toward happiness…or despair.” Benezia had walked away from them now, toward a large tank held suspended in the center of the room. Inside was the largest rachni they had seen yet—the queen. “Her children were to be ours,” the matriarch continued. “Raised to hunt and slay Saren’s enemies.”

“Why should I waste my time when you’ll soon be dead? Have you faced an asari commando unit before, Commander Shepard? Few have.” Benezia lifted a hand and signaled her commandos. In moments they had charged past her to engage Shepard and her squad.

Liara threw up a shield to repel the asari as everyone else dove for cover. The commandos almost immediately shattered it, but that little bit of time was enough. Shepard and Charlie laid down cover-fire to allow Liara to fall back and Kaidan unleashed a biotic blast intended to plow through the asari. Only one was knocked off her feet, but Charlie had already taken aim. Biotics could do nothing against a well-paced bullet through the skull.

Benezia watched the battle unfold from her vantage point in front of the rachni queen’s tank. She had erected a barrier to protect herself but other than that one could mistake her for an audience member at a show. Her expression was calm, her shoulders set with pride. Pride that her commando squad had broken through the defenses of her daughter and her comrades, throwing them back into a set of crates. They were hit with so many biotics at once that the air around them warped and bent, momentarily giving the impression that Shepard was being pulled taut like Laffy Taffy.

“Watch that tank!” shouted Charlie. She rolled from behind one crate to another, avoiding a shotgun shell that reduced her old cover to shrapnel. “The last thing we need is the queen bug on us!”

“That’s the least of my worries right now, Charlie!” Piper called back. She was grappling hand to hand with an asari. She grabbed the alien’s wrist and twisted, forcing her to drop her pistol. The asari attempted to headbutt her, but Shepard deployed her Omni-blade through her gut. She shoved the body away from her and into a commando rushing in to take her place, knocking her to the ground. She fired off three bullets from her pistol, two for the head and one for the heart.

Benezia snarled in frustration. The commandos that had remained at her side now rushed the party. The doors on the other side of the room opened to admit mercenaries into the battle. They came from all sides of the room, forcing the group into a corner.

“Now this is a party!” Charlie barked with laughter. She stood and tossed two grenades, one to either side. Kaidan used a well-timed biotic warp to expand the grenade’s radius to take out several of the mercenaries. This knocked open a hole Shepard and Liara used to lay out the rest of the commandos. 

The four comrades rushed the stairs to surround Benezia in front of the queen’s tank, guns drawn.

The matriarch scowled at them, her hands twisted into fists. “This is not over, Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light, everything is clear!”

Charlie let out a low, slow whistle. “Damn, Blue. Your mom is insane.”

Benezia didn’t seemed to hear her. “I will not betray him. You must listen. Saren still whispers.” She suddenly clutched her head and screamed as if her skull were being split in two. “I can fight his compulsions but only briefly, the indoctrination is strong!”

Everyone shared looks. “Why should I believe you?” Shepard demanded. “How do I know you’re not faking this?”

“For all we know you just realized what deep shit you’re in and you want out,” Charlie added.

Benezia scowled but her eyes still looked pleading and desperate. “Try being trapped in your mind while your own hands torture and murder others. Try having to watch as he orders your own people to their deaths.” She looked at Liara, her eyes glistening. “He sent me to find the Mu Relay, it was lost thousands of years ago, but we found it. I put the data on an OSD, please take it before he retakes my mind!”

Liara looked distraught. “Where does he plan to go, mother? We have to stop him.”

Benezia was starting to sway now, biotic energy pooling visibly around her. She held her head tightly. “He wouldn’t tell me, and I’ve already transmitted the coordinates. You have to—you have to stop him, stop me!”

“No, fight it, mother!” Liara shouted in despair, grasping her mother’s hands in hers.

Benezia sucked in a deep breath and fell forward, barely catching herself on her hands. She looked up at Liara, her breathing labored and her eyes filled with tears. “You’ve always made me proud, Liara.” And all light faded from her eyes. She rose quickly with her hands held above her head, a biotic attack forming. Liara stumbled backward and fell.

Charlie let off a shot that buried itself deep in the matriarch’s heart, and she fell heavily to the floor.

***

“Hey Blue, are you all right?” Charlie asked. Liara sat beside her mother’s body, her head held in her lap. Her face was downcast, but she didn’t cry. She seemed simply sullen.

“We were never very close, but still…to die like this…”

“She fought him in the end, that’s what matters,” Charlie said. “But if his mind control could do that to a matriarch, that tells us how strong it is already. Why would he need the rachni?”

“He must have been after them for a different reason,” said Liara, looking up now. Charlie could see the gears turning in her eyes now. “What if…what if the rachni didn’t go extinct? What if they came through the Mu Relay?”

Piper approached the tank with the rachni queen. She had been thrashing restlessly since the battle had ended and now as the commander approached she only grew worse. She suddenly slung a tentacle against the glass, making everyone jump.

From behind them one of the dying commandos stood and trudged to the glass, turning to face them with lifeless eyes. Their mouth opened, and words came out. 

“This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless.”

“Musics? What?”

“Your way of communicating is strange, flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni.”

“How are you speaking through her?”

“Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings and the others understand. She is weak, she is ending, her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful.

The children we birthed were torn from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to us. They will only cause harm as they are.”

“Why are they killing people?”

“These needlemen stole our eggs from us, sought to turn them into beasts of war with no songs of their own. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds!”

“Makes sense,” said Kaidan quietly. “A kid left alone in a closet until he’s six won’t be sane.”

“We stand before you, helpless. What will you sing? Will you release us? Or are we to fade away once more?”

“Commander, there’s some old grudges in the galaxy, some grudges humans should stay out of. If we kill her, we wipe out an entire race,” said Kaidan.

“The ramifications of an extinct species being reintroduced into the galaxy are unknown, but we can’t just murder her and her entire race,” said Liara.

“It’s a giant fucking bug, kill it,” said Charlie.

Piper considered Kaidan and Liara’s words, and frowned at Charlie. She then turned back to the rachni queen. She addressed the tank, because it felt better than addressing the almost-dead asari. “If I let you leave will you attack other races again?”

“No, we only heard discordance during the war. The songs were the color of oily shadows. We would seek a secret place to teach our children only harmony. Perhaps if they understand, we will seek society then.”

“I won’t destroy your entire race,” Piper said slowly. “You can go freely, as long as you go peacefully.”

“You will let us go free? We will sing of this peace to our children!”

As Shepard approached the controls to release the queen, the asari commando’s body slid to the floor with a heavy thud. The queen escaped through the tunnel and then there was silence.

Charlie walked up to Shepard and stood in front of her, heaving a heavy sigh. She looked at the commander as calmly as possible. “You just let the biggest bug in the galaxy go. ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?”

Piper laughed. “Yes. Only the crazy ones can graduate from N7.”

Charlie jabbed a finger against her chest. “If you ask Saren ‘If I let you go promise you won’t kill anyone anymore?’ I’m going to shoot you myself.”

* * *


End file.
